Skin Shedding (OCxShanks) One Piece Fanfiction
by rosalie279
Summary: Read the story about a young woman who get saved by the Red Hair Pirates. While she stays, she looks back at her past; Things got difficult, when her previous life gets mixed up with her current one. One whose side will she stay and which side will she show of herself in return?
1. Prologue

️ ️ **She was just a woman,**  
 **trying to get through life.**

 **This story isn't just a story,**  
 **it's a past with a certain strife.**

 **Her eyes saw things,**  
 **which aren't simply told.**

 **Her ears heard words,**  
 **which were better than gold.**

 **Her heart felt in different ways,**  
 **sometimes more bad than good.**

 **Not changing her way of thinking,**  
 **even if she simple could.**

 **Meeting many others,**  
 **watching what each of them had built.**

 **Not joining forever,**  
 **just hiding under a layer of guilt.**

 **Wanting something to happen,**  
 **without needing to sin.**

 **Maybe it was time,**  
 **time to shed her skin?**  
️ ️ ️ ️


	2. 1 Unique Personality

**Music^** **: su na & DUVV- Flaws (James Deen Remix)**

Chapter 1: Unique Personality

️Present **{Present= Before Time skip}**

 _The Devil Fruits; mysterious, gives different and varying kinds of strange and interesting abilities, fruits of the Sea Devil and the most important thing... it tastes horrible._

"Captain! There is a barrel at 10 o'clock!" The red haired man walked to the left side of the ship, looking at the lonely barrel drifting in the open sea. He raised his hand in the air, as a sign to raise the barrel out of the water _._

A net was thrown over it and got pulled up on the ship. The barrel bounced a few times, before it rolled over to the feet of the captain. The crew gathered around the wooden container, curious about what it will be; food, rum or maybe a treasure.

 _Through the many years, I have seen different Devil Fruit Users. A lot of Paramecia-types, and a few Logia-types, even though they aren't very common. The Zoan-types, as talking one being myself, not really, maybe two or three._

The one-armed man walked forwards to look what's inside, but some member said he would open it as he pointed out to the captain's arm. Eventually the red haired man watched his first mate breaking it open, not knowing what is inside of it. "Wait, maybe it's dangerous!" He ignored the statement of his first mate. Well, they had passed the Red Line so everything was possible.

After using some strength the barrel was open, revealing a woman. Hair so white as silk and as long that it reached her ankles, her skin showing her bones. As fragile as a doll, looking exhausted while a long white dress covered her skin. The young woman opened her eyes for a few seconds, exposing her sun-like colored eyes that shined like two golden coins.

The woman's knees were under her chin and her arms were around her body. She could have been there for days or maybe weeks! Even if she looked like someone, who could take take of herself... it seemed she somehow ended up in this situation.

 _The Devil Fruit can effect your appearance, sometimes even mentally but just temporarily. It drains your energy when using it too much. I hate my hybrid- and beast form, it's like losing my humanity..._

One of the members lifted her out of the barrel. Everyone held their breath, not expecting a human body. "Get some water! She is dehydrated..." The captain stated that by just looking at her, her skin feeling as cold as ice as he tried to detect a fever.

The whole crew stood like frozen statues until the red haired man repeated his sentence once more, with more strength but less confidence... Her white dress was covered in mud and old blood, revealing what her current state was. Worn out and broken.

 _To be honest, I can't imagine how I would survive without these powers. It took me many years to 'know' mine, though. They helped me out, a lot. Of course, I messed up in the beginning, failing almost like breathing._

️

He sat beside her, waiting for her to wake up. _The sun... it feels nice._ Her long hair reflected the sunshine like a diamond. Her skin was pale, not a healthy tint of pale. _Why do I feel warmth? A-am I in Heaven?_

With kindness he stroked her hair, questioning who she is and how she ended up in a barrel. The man had never experienced something like this, a lady like her in the middle of the Grand Line. Is there a reason for her to be on sea?

 _It must have been the sea, so beautiful but also a great danger for the ones like me. I know how strong the sea can be, you can't mess with it. That's for sure. I guess, it took my life away after all. After thirty-five years of living my life, this is it._

Her fingers started to move, while her eyes slowly opened. Within a second she sat straight, coughing up water. "Ho easy, sweetheart. We found you at the point of dying." He pushed her softly back, so she could lie down.

 _I dying? So, I'm not dead?!_ She dodge him and threw her legs to one side of the bed, ready to stand up. Without any words shared, she almost did. "Nope, not happening." He grabbed her legs and moved her back to her previous position. She left a small sigh, causing him to smile.

 _Where am I? How did I end up here? How did I in One Piece's sake end up on a ship?! Last time, I was still with my both feet on the steady ground... I think._ She looks at him with an angry expression, not that he didn't earn it.

The longer she stared at him, how more curious she was about him. _Who is he? Why is he so kind? Does he recognized me? I have never seen him, I would remember him if he was important._ His eyes reflected concern and curiosity. _Maybe he just found me and doesn't know what to do with me._

Her eyes traveled to his left shoulder, where nothing was attached. A knot in the sleeve, hanging in the air. Slowly her eyes found it back to his eyes, gazing at the three scars. Which looked like it was caused by someone powerful. _Why do my scars always heal?..._

Furthermore, the man who sat next to her, must be something around her age. "I..." A very soft voice protested to his action. "I'm... fine" _I'm not..._ She looked at him, trying to get to know him. She is on a ship, so she won't get off it easily or fast.

 _I could play a dying scene... but if they trow me overboard, I will sink like a anchor! Stupid weakness._ He still smiled, seeing she also knew she wasn't alright. The male thought about how stubborn the female in front of him was, but she was not satisfied, not the slightest. She looked at her hand, noticing she lost a few pounds. _How long have I been gone?_

"I'm going to let the crew know you are fine. Stay here." _Crew?! He didn't look like a marine. Pirates?!_ Her eyes spread wide open, just by thinking at the idea. "No need to be shocked, I will be back before you know it." She wasn't afraid of them because they were pirates, but afraid because she knows so many, many known pirates.

If one of them recognizes her, she will be in big trouble. Both of her sides are known by the society, fortunately nobody knows those sides are two sides of the same coin.

With a wink he left the cabin, acting like everything was fine. The thing was; she knew that it wasn't and she hates it like water! _Who does he think he is? I can take care of myself, I don't need protection..._

️

She couldn't lay down in bed with such hunger, so she thought about exploring the ship while looking for food. Even though, the man could return any time, she walked passed some pirates, trying to find the kitchen. Luckily nobody noticed her, they were all to busy with doing their job.

 _I just need to get some food and maybe I can get something to drink. Something stronger than water, like some booze._ Her footsteps weren't really quiet but she tried her best to camouflage with the background. Eventually she found the kitchen, with nobody in the room.

Carefully she took some bread of the kitchen counter and a bottle of rum from the table. She sneaked away, hiding behind the little kitchen island. Nobody has walked into the kitchen yet, so she took the risk to enjoy her meal in the kitchen itself.

First, she opened the bottle, smelling the alcohol before drinking every single drop. _Delicious!_ The piece of bread on the other hand, smelled even better! It was freshly made and it was still a little bit warm. She took a big bite of it, enjoying the feeling of eating something after quite some time.

The crumbles fell on the ground, like an uncontrollable reptile ripping its pray into pieces. Her golden eyes were eyeing on the last piece, already regretting the hasty way of eating. _There is more food, right? They won't miss this piece of bread._

The last piece of food was slowly entering her mouth, while she was thinking about how delicious a simple meal could be. "Sweetheart? What are you doing?" She looked up with fear in her eyes, before she knocked over some pans while trying to stand up. _This isn't as planned! Abort mission!_

The male from before had found her behind the little kitchen island. It seemed that the sounds of the pans, who were now spread on the ground, had alarmed the rest of the pirates. With the piece of bread in her mouth, she gulped it down in one try. _Aborting mission: failed._

Everyone gathered around her, looking at her curiously. "What a beauty!" She looked down, seeing that she only wears an oversized poet shirt. "Will she join our crew, captain?" She looks in the eyes of the man, apparently the captain. "I-I was..." She didn't know what to say. _Oh no! This is bad!_

She swiped some bread crumbles from her mouth, while the bottle of rum rolled away. One member of the crew picked up the bottle and looked surprised when he saw it was empty. Her mind went crazy, being scared of what will happen. _No, I will not join the pirate crew... Can't I just leave?! I feel so exposed, both mentally and physically!_

All attention was pointed at the female, everyone wanting to see the only woman on the ship. Her knees were trembling as a scared deer, almost falling back on the ground. Until something unexpected happened; He threw his long black cape around her, covering her up. _W-what is he doing?_

Now, nobody could see her panicking, except for the red haired man himself. He smiled a little, assuring everything will be alright. In one sweep she was lifted to his height, he held her against her with one arm. _He is helping me..._

Because the woman was so long without food, she was now almost as light as a feather. The cape was still covering her, while she laid her head against his chest. Feeling his heart rising, while his breathing stayed steady. Her cheeks were starting to get slightly red and her eyes were still set on his eyes.

 _Is it the alcohol what makes me so sensual?_ It was silence for a moment, nobody talked, nor even whispered. She felt save. "So everyone, sadly our lady here is _still_ very tired and that means no party, _yet_." _Party?_

"Even though it seemed she wanted to start one for herself." The crew laughed a little before they went back to their previous actions. With those words he left the kitchen, eventually keeping his eyes on her. "Did you miss me that much?" _Missing him? What does he mean?... wait... oh my One Piece..._

She broke their eye contact, trying to hide a slight blush. On what kind of ship has she found herself on? Well, she got a feeling that these pirates are good hearted. At least a different feeling than she have ever felt by other pirate crews.

 _The Devil Fruit didn't change my whole appearance, but a few things what made me more like that... animal._

The walk to her temporarily room almost looked like hours. The captain didn't look at her anymore, his heartbeat stayed the same. While he walked back to the room, she felt his body warmth slowly taking over hers. Awaking an assured feeling. She haven't felt that relieved since a long time...

️Memory: 6 years ago

"Mr.6, are you even listening?" Leaving my eyes from the window, I turned around while keeping my face half hidden under a piece of cloak. "Yes, of course. I have been informed about the current situation." My sight went to the two silhouettes, revealing my golden eyes to their serious expressions.

"I could explain the situation, where we are in now." _Please, say no._ The dark room gave a weird tension to the conversation. Almost terrifying, it gives my shivers through my spine just thinking about it.

We were with three people; me, my boss and the only _known_ woman here, Miss All-Sunday. She gave me a nod, after waiting for a permission from Mr.0. "The accident was caused by a new pirate cr-" I stopped talking, the aura from this room wasn't very pleasant, realizing that some Billions lost to a new pirate crew.

 _Nobody next to Miss All-Sunday and me, now known as Mr.6, have seen Crocodile personal while knowing he is Mr.0. Of course, there is a reason for it, but the most important thing now is that I keep it a secret. Otherwise I will be 'bananawani' food. His words, not mine._

"Well, you know what you have to do." I nodded with a smirk as respond, feeling relieved. Crocodile and I have known each other for a time and our friendship is pretty stable. _How do I know? Well, I once made one mistake... and I wasn't executed. So, that is a good sign._

I left the room, starting to gather more _useful_ information. After that one mistake I wasn't sent in the front lines ever again, but instead I now have to work in the background. Making things sure, as they are the same as told. More like a 'to make sure it wasn't a lie', something like that.

While closing the door, I put my hand through my short hair. It isn't really pleasant to 'not be yourself'. While making my way out, I noticed someone started following me. The follower was not just someone, it was Miss All-Sunday.

 _It's not that my ability can change myself, but more cover my real self. Like a second skin or illusion to the naked eye. It can be seen through, though._

Eventually after a few steps, I stood still. "Is there a problem, Miss All-Sunday?" My deep voice echoed in the hallway, waiting for a response. "No, there is no problem _Mr. 6_." She says that name slightly different than she used to do.

Out of nowhere, she turns me around with her Devil Fruit ability. She walks to me with her eyes locked on mine, with a smile and walking slightly mysterious. "If there is something you have to tell, like problems and stuff. Just let me know."

She winked at me and used her hands to close one of my buttons from my jacket. _She isn't flirting, right? Because, well..._ "Your thoughts are somewhere else again, right?" Now she started to talk annoyed, like she was irritated by something. _Did I do something wrong?_

 _She is with Crocodile most of the time but she knows it isn't smart to make an unexpected move on her own._ "Miss All-Sunday, I think you understand the situation wro-" A hand comes out of my back, dragging me backwards by grabbing my jacket. Eventually I stumbled on the floor, the piece of cloak falling off my face.

 _Did she notice? Was my voice acting that bad? Did she see through my camouflage?_ "Just do what has been told and shut up..." Pissed off she walks away, to somewhere. Slowly I stood up, still being confused of her way of behaving. _Was she warning me for something?_

Word Count: 2623

Time skips between:  
 **Present**  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

|  
 **6/1 year ago**  
Age 29 to 34  
Crocodile: Age 38 to 43


	3. Rain Dinners

**Music^** **: FKJ- Go Back Home**

 **6 years ago**  
Age 29  
Crocodile: Age 38  
?

I just wanted to take a peek of _his_ life and then return to mine... removing the border of Akari and Hikaru... just as easy as it is said, right?

 _I watched every move of him, since a few months._ Today is as any other. First pirates invade the city, causing people to panic and ' _bam_ '! There he is... the hero _._ On top of a building _. A show-off like always, did't change a bit. The savior, the one and only god or with the name how I always called him; Crocodile._

 _People tell all kinds of stories of him, praising him into greatness. I'm not saying they are 100% wrong, I admit he looks badass, but doesn't it look a bit... how should I say it? Obvious? Yeah, that's the word. I mean he snaps all the time and acts grumpy around almost everyone... My point is; How can nobody notice this?_

 _After a few months watching him, knowing where he goes, who he meets, who works for him and etcetera, I could become the savior of this city! I will be the savior, the goddess, Miss. Too perfect or ... I prefer my name. That's the only one what doesn't get me uncomfortable..._

After watching him 'defeat' the pirates, he threw a bag over his shoulder and walked away. _Next time I will follow him, now there are too much people who saw me today. Actually, I almost live here! I only sleep somewhere else, two streets away by an old lady, who had a spare room left._

My hand went through my white hair as I sighed deep. _I miss the feeling of my hand traveling through my long hair. Now it was just short, the ends tickles in the back of my neck_. "Show me your hands." Before I could finish my sigh, a cold metallic feeling was poking in my neck.

Slowly I put my hands in the air, turning around with my eyes on the ground. _Did I forget to mention... that I was wearing a Marine's jacket? No?_ "Who are you?" My eyes were gazing on the pair of shoes, slowly trying to figure out who could stand behind me. _Billions._

"I was just observing the situation, I got a report about some people misbehaving." I said with a steady voice, putting my hands down. _Of course, it was all a lie. After being trained as a Marine, you will learn about a few situation. So... my acting skills were showing today, after a long time._

"Who commanded you?" _Who?_ Slowly I stood up, trying to act like a Marine under command of... "Mr.0" The Billions took a step back, not expecting their boss being mentioned. "Oh! We didn- We uhh... continue with your job." One of them was trembling on his knees, probably being scared of someone being commanded directly by the boss.

 _That they even believe my story!_ "Or _we_ can do it for you." An other voice mixed in, the sound of his voice being quite suspicious. " _That won't be necessary_." My voice and the one of a woman said, creating a high tension in the side street. _Who stands behind me?_

The Billions ran away, their eyes slightly gazing to the one behind me. "Follow me." Before I could stand properly, my arm got pulled away, causing me to stumble behind the tall silhouette. "W-wait! What are you doing?" My eyes went to the stranger, being able to conclude it was a woman.

Her pace decreased, allowing me to walk next to her. She was still pulling me with her, her hand around my wrist. I could only see her black colored hair, which reached until her skinny shoulders. Her eyes were hidden under a hat, but because of her unsteady breathing she seemed quite young. _Where are we going?_

"I'm bringing you to _our_ boss." A smile was slowly appearing on her face, her eyes slightly lighting up from amusement. _She heard me talk, she knows I'm lying._ She brought me to a 'F-Wani'. _I don't know why but those Bananawani's creatures, give me the creeps! Their breaths are smelly and are hungry all the time!_

Before I knew it, we arrived by Rainbase, feeling the heat decrease a bit because of huge amount of water. _It felt nice, the slight coldness_. _Even if it didn't feel colder or actually less warm... it made me relax a bit._

The woman walked in front of me, leading me to Rain Dinners, the famous and known casino. As she was greeted by all the people, she kept her attention mostly on me. _She doesn't trust me..._ Eventually we sat down, beginning an important conversation.

 _I had no opportunity to escape, there were eyes and ears everywhere. I had to listen to her, listening that a certain problem occurred: me._

"Mr.6?" I looked up to the woman, who apparently was named Miss All-Sunday, she was watching me all those months when I had my eyes on Crocodile. My eyes were switching between the woman and the current piece of paper.

We talked about my current situation, as well for my future one. My golden eyes moved to the woman after I stopped staring at my contract. _Mr.6, my new name as I now begin to work for Baroque Works._ Well, I didn't really had a choice to turn down the _offer._

Because I already knew Crocodile was my boss, the one called Mr.0 among all the employees, I had a special contract. I would work for them and in return they weren't planning to kill me. I have to work at the front, killing people who could destroy Crocodile's reputation.

Normally none of the Officer Agents know who their boss is... so if I tell one of them, what I'm not going to do, I _will_ get killed for sure. I never wanted to reveal Crocodile in the first place. _I just wanted to check on him._

Well, it isn't that hard to work for the Baroque Works. I just have to make sure I don't make any mistakes... I don't want to think about that problem, though. "By the way," Miss All-Sunday was sitting in a chair next to me reading a book. "I'm not going to wear something with the number six." I said with confidence, really _not_ wanting a tattoo with a six on it.

"That won't be necessary." We both looked up from our chairs, watching Crocodile arrive in the room. "If you just follow the rules on the contract..." He mumbled as smoke was leaving his mouth. "then there won't be consequences." Miss All-Sunday explained as she finished Crocodile's sentence.

Our eyes met, almost as time stood still. _He doesn't recognize me, right?_ His serious and bored expression hid the soul of a young male I met many years ago. His body became more muscular, his shoulders were now wider and also grew a bit taller. He really changed, like he moved on.

 _After my whole situation was explained by rules, I kind of already knew I wouldn't leave this place any time soon. It didn't really give me a feeling that it was possible to 'stand up and leave'._

 _To see it in a different light... my life will be busy. I can keep my eyes on Crocodile, while I slowly destroy the wall between Akari and Hikaru. When I leave this place... the wall will crumble in thousand pieces._


	4. 2 Common Sacrifices

Chapter 2: Common Sacrifices  
️Present

As they sang with their loudest voice, the waves of the ocean rocked against the ship. The sails were tight up, while a few candlers lighted up the deck. "Akari, sweetheart, come inside. You will catch a cold if you stay here any longer."

She kept staring at the sea, seeing the waves pass by while the captain's voice filled her ears. _Catch a cold? I only get tired if I don't stand in the sun for more than two days..._ With his hand on her shoulder, they watched the darkness for quite some time.

 _I can see the waves jumping over each other, trying to get higher than their previous height. Can he also see it? Or does his eyes wander in the darkness?_ Akari looked at the captain from the corner of her eye, gazing at him while he was focused on the sky above the two pirates.

For all the times she saw Shanks on deck, she never had seen him so... _natural_? He was calm and relaxed, almost as he was thinking about the thing he loves the most. _Does he have a wife? Waiting for him at home? Maybe some kids?_

 _Like, he would be a great father. Even if he drinks a lot, something shines in that man's soul. It could be his protective side or a side he never shows to the crew every day..._

Eventually some crew members started to notice that their captain was gone, causing them to scream more than sing. The one-armed pirate softly pulled her along, while teasing her that she has to be careful with drinking.

That could have started since Shanks had found her a few times, gulping down some booze. The cheeks on her face all red and her eyes expressing the state of drunkenness. Each time he dragged her back to her bedroom, tucking her in bed with care.

 _Even if it has been two weeks since I was found, things aren't as bad as it seems. Here, they know me by the name Akari. It's not a name I made up, it's my real name. To be honest this is one of the few times I introduce me with my real name._

 _Crocodile, though. He thinks I'm a dude... even though I was just camouflaged as one, I expected him to see through it! Glad he didn't. While I worked for him, I noticed he did in fact; changed._

 _Croco knows me, I mean my female being me, Akari, but that was more than ten years ago... It would be dangerous if he finds out I left village, things that would turn the tables. It's risky if people find out I'm two persons; the past will mix up with the present._

Before she knew it, she was joining a drinking competition. Some took big gulps, trying to get the rum away as fast as possible. Others slowly drank but also ended up behind, they were most of the time eyeing the woman; looking as she kept up her drinking rhythm at super speed.

One after another, until there were only six candidates left. The four top crew members of Shanks, the captain himself and of course the, pretty, drunk woman. She was second place, trying to beat Shanks. The one with a big piece of meat fell backwards, taking two of the others with him to the ground.

Three men down, while the last three pirates are still conscious and drinking. _When I worked for Crocodile, I drank allot with the Baroque Works Agents. Sometimes, even with Sir Crocodile himself! I tried to keep that at its minimum, preventing to speak about something from the past._

"Sweetie? Are you giving up?" _Giving up?_ She didn't notice she was so deep in thoughts, that she had stopped drinking. Her eyes were stuck on the table, her heartbeat was rising. With just a few drinks to go and she could win!

Only that feeling, that one feeling she haven't felt in a long time: joy. She didn't want to miss that feeling because of her drunkenness. "I missed this... a whole crew together... Singing songs, drinking with a smile."

A tear rolled over her cheek. While Shanks gives her a pat on her back, he took away her rum. Eventually he pulls her into a hug with his cloak covering one of her shoulders, causing her to fall asleep against the captain.

️Memory: 21 years ago

"Croco, please..." I looked at him with my sweetest look. Crocodile looked at the little girl, who was begging all day long. _He had promised me to bring me with him to his crew: The Dancing Pirates. They were already here when I was twelve, so it seems they won't go away any time, though._

 _The Dancing Pirates weren't that strong, but at least they could protect themselves against the ones who are visiting our island. It isn't a big island but there are enough supplies to survive for a year, at least._

He sighed while he took his hands through his hair. _He looks so badass._ _I want to be a pirate! After all the stories, which were told by Croco himself, sounded so awesome! Even the one about how he got his scar on his face, the crocodile smile, which happened not all too long ago._

He turned around to look at the sun, slowly seeing it disappear into the sea. "Little princess.." He began. _He calls me that sometimes._ "I know I have said that, but it's too dangero- Akari!" My name was called behind me, as I ran to the other side of the island; where the pirate ship is anchored. _Croco doesn't know it, but I have been there many time, watching them sing from a distance._

The loud voices of the pirates reached until the nearest village, which wasn't that far away. With my short legs I ran as hard as I could, the owls started to make their sounds. _A few years back I would run away from the sea... it took a lot from me. Except now because of someone... I just have to run to it to be with him. To be with Crocodile._

The trees had let the wind touch their leaves, as the moon already covered it with a shiny layer. Their voices became louder and louder... _I love the song they are always singing._ I was slowly approaching the crew, keeping my noise at its minimum. _A few meters closer won't let them notice me any better, right?_

" _Fifteen men on a dead man's chest... Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum_!" Behind the village, somewhere in the darkness, there is a little campfire. " _Drink and the devil had done for the rest_..." The joy, happiness and drunkenness aura by the little place... " _Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum_."

Shadows of dancing figures stretched until the sea. " _The mate was fixed by the bosun's pike_..." Even death comes along the way... " _The bosun brained with a marlinspike_ " Well, that's a pirate life you are talking about.

" _And cookey's throat was marked belike_ " I already smelt the meat, who's skin was burning above the fire. " _It had been gripped by fingers ten_ ;" Hiding behind the bushes, enjoying the view of the dancing pirates. " _And there they lay, all good dead men_..."

The voices became softer, like a few of the great singers stopped. " _Like break o'day in a boozing ken_." Suddenly a strong grip was around the back of my shirt, allowing me to be pulled up, eventually looking straight in the eyes of an angry man.

"Y-yo ho ho... a-and a bottle of r-rum...?" My voice was cracked as I tried to continue the song, which I had heard a million times, but everyone could hear it clearly. Some grins, chuckles and quiet laugher surrounded me, as I saw that two more men stood behind me.

 _Didn't I hear them stand behind me?_ "What's a doll like you doing out here in the middle of the night?" I got dragged to the campfire and being put on the ground. _Well, Croco had promised me..._

"It's my fault." A low voice announced, while guilt and sadness was present in the way of confessing. With a grin on my face I turned around, running straight into the arms of Crocodile, who just confessed it was his fault that I was here.

He pulled me up, making it easier for me to climb on his shoulders. With shame he looks on the ground, because of bringing a young girl of fourteen to a pirate crew. _He must be really strong to belong to this crew!_

"Ha-ha-ha, so this is the girl you where talking about?" _Does he mean Crocodile talks about me? He wants me to join his pirate life?_ "I want to join your crew!" _I didn't know who the captain was, but I meant it with whole my heart. I just had to say it, right on that exact moment._

 _Even if the sea took someone dear to me away, I can't run from it forever. Especially, when it's surrounding me. The world we all are living in, is about the sea! The power a single person can conquer with the help of its crew. The adventures you make with your nakama... I don't only want to listen to it, I also want to tell those tales myself!_

There was a long silence, all crew members stiffed up and didn't move a muscle. Slowly a man showed a big smile, like it was the best thing he had heard in years. "My, my... what a spirit!"

Without noticing, Crocodile looked up with excitement but also fear, not being able to say anything. _Did I say something wrong?_ I bowed before me, looking at Croco upside down. My long black hair was in a ponytail, so it didn't end in his face.

His eyes were on the whole crew, hoping they would allow it. He looked at me with his eyes, reflecting guilt. He was picking me up from his shoulders and had put me on his lap. As fast as I could I closed his coat as high as my chin, protecting myself from the cold air

I eventually ended up staring straight in the eyes of the captain. _How did I know who that was? He had a hat with one big white feather on the left side. His face features show he is living one of his last years and... someone just called him captain... aaand maybe because he is the only one who talks from the crew to me and Crocodile._

I slowly looked up, into the eyes of Crocodile, who slowly nodded. "..." With in a second I stared back at the captain, reminding him of my request. "Please, sir?" Again some chuckles and grins were surrounding me. "Ha-ha-ha... Call me captain for now on!"

Two strong arms pressed me closer to the body behind me, consuming the warmth Croco was radiating. "Did you hear that? I'm a pirate now!" He gave me a soft smile as my eyes started to close. "Tired?" He asked very quiet, while he leaned forwards to move his face next to mine. "I'm not..." ... _tired_

️Memory: 19 years ago

"Akari...there are evil ones out there," As the captain pointed out to the ocean. "some are marines, others are pirates or maybe even people in your village." While I look at the quiet ocean, a News Coo flew away after he had giving us the newspaper and a few wanted posters.

Crocodile climbed up to the crow's nest signing me to climb up, but the captain talked further. So, I exchanged some signs with Croco to make clear I would climb up right away, when the captain is done talking.

"You can't define who are evil or good." _So_ _the marines aren't the evil ones? Nor good?_ "But you are the only one who can choose which way is the best for you at that moment." _Isn't that selfish?_ "The pirates took your house? You want to join the marines or at least admire them... The marines wanted to take you and your familie because you were related to us pirates?..."

"My point is, that it doesn't matter in the end. As long as you can protect what holds you dear. Maybe you can also call it just survival, everyone wants to survive as long as possible." _What holds me dear?_

 _Who do I hold dear? It won't be someone of the village, I barely talk to them. Only if it's about food or what's going in the outside world. Is there even someone who holds me dear?_ Without noticing it, the captain was gone. Probably taking a nap.

 _Sometimes I think he can disappear any time._ A high melodic whistle covered everyone ears, like a bird who flies with the wind. I searched on deck, seeing Crocodile signing me to climb up. With a smile I nodded to him and walked towards the ratlines to reach the Crocodile.

 _Two years ago, I was accepted in the crew. First I was only allowed to do... nothing stupid and clean the deck. Most of the time Crocodile helped me. After one year they finally agreed to letting me help, like being on the look out, most of the time helping with cooking._

Slowly but with careful actions, I was already halfway up. "Be careful!" He shouted. _Be careful? Of course, you idiot._ As a monkey I reached with my hands from one rope to another. _I have climbed this many and countless times, most of the time sitting there with Croco._

Suddenly a strong wind pressed me against the ratlines, also another one coming from the other side; almost making me fall off. "Akari!" His voice sounded fragile, like he was scared I could die by any move I was going to make. My hands were grabbing the net as tight as possible, my feet dangled like a puppet.

Eventually I could climb further, looking in the desperate eyes of Crocodile. "Storm coming!" _A storm? B-but it's as bright as a blue painted wall!_ While looking down, where the ground was a few meters below me, I saw everyone staring at something behind me. "Raise the sail!"

As fast as I could I looked behind me, still clinging on the net. Dark clouds, like darkness taking over in a blink of an eye. "Steady!" As a cracking sound travels through my ears, I see in the corner of my eye, the rope below the crow's nest stating to snap. Slowly the threads became thinner and thinner...

"C-croco!" With fear in my eyes, I saw him trying to reach my hands. _It's out of reach!_ The gravity suddenly took action; my hands got ripped off the ropes and one of my feet got stuck in the ratlines. The sky was full of dark clouds, thunder started to mix in the battle.

As the sky moved all around me, I got a hit against my back. T _he water_. Air got pushed out of my lungs, everything became dark. My eyes closed and my body got pulled down by the sea currents, accepting my visit.

 _Help..._ When I tried to swim to the surface, I realized my foot was still stuck. The ratlines was snapped at the top, under the crow's nest, now being dragged under the ship. My last breath escaped my mouth, the air bubbles drifted away.

 _I don't want to die! Is this how I'm going to die? In the water, died because of being stuck in a ratline!_ Out of nowhere, my body got lifted up, my eyes opening by the surprising feeling. A big shadow was thrown over me, moving to my feet.

Feeling the ropes being pulled to all possible ways, my leg eventually could move again. The strong current of the sea almost pulled me under the ship, but an arm was wrapped around my waist. Slowly seeing light in the darkness, feeling the pressure leave my body.

The shadow was beside me, trying to pull both of us to the surface. After a few seconds, what felt like hours, the air was present again. Grasping for air, holding on the person beside me. My head was spinning, not seeing clear where we were. The feeling of a steady ground was under my feet, but we fell on the hard deck.

The strong grip around me got released, causing me to roll over on my back. With my head pointed to the left, I saw Crocodile grasping for air beside me. _He saved me?_ A blood pool was surrounding by his left hand... or should I say by his forearm, where there was no hand attached anymore.

"Y-your hand!" I shouted, as result to cough up more water. I crawled to him with my last bit of energy. "You... idiot..." _Why?_ "N-now you lost your hand because of m-" He tackled me on the ground, hovering over me. "It's just my hand..." His eyes pierced through mine. _He meant it._

"Why?" Tears started to roll over my cheeks. _Why? Why?!_ "Because I can't lose... you." A little broken smile was formed by his lips. His body collapsed beside me, slowly losing his conscious. _I know who I hold dear..._

️Memory: 17 years ago

After being four years with the crew, things got a little bit messed up. Our beloved captain disappeared, leaving all of us confused. _Didn't he like the crew anymore? Did he thought we could be on our own?_

 _Was he kidnapped? Maybe his time had come to an end._ Questions about him were still unanswered. Crocodile was furious, thinking he just left us as garbage. Of course, we tried to help him but he had to do it alone.

The captain was a father for him, he saved him from being an orphan, giving a meaning to his life, but when he was gone... Croco's life was put upside down. He pushed me away, closed himself like a shell, isolated himself in loneliness. He went out to sea once, but got back with more problems than when he had left.

Like a little stubborn child, not able to listen, seeing a lot of things like a threat or burden. I can't blame him, we all gave him time to heal, even if it had let us suffer more. We had let him go, even if the chance was big it could bring more trouble.

Eventually after a year he sought for human touch, someone to be with. With little steps he realized that this, all the feelings going through his body, is because of the word: life.

The harsh truth; it's mean, puzzling, unexpected, full of lies and impossible fantasies but life is also precious and not perfect at all. That's what it makes so special, you only get one chance to live but many chances to change the way you want to live.

I was lost in his eyes, unable to believe he spoke to me again. Tears started to build up as he cupped my face on one side, removing one of my tears with his thumb. "Thank you," His eyes became softer as he released those powerful words. "for waiting after all this time..." A little smile came across his face, pure expression of relieve.

With my left hand going to his lips, slightly touching his cold skin. Not wanting him to remove that smile, that wonderful smile. _He can't leave, he may not leave. Not after everything we have been through, after I had waited for him._

 _No! I don't want to feel alone anymore!_ My feeling were going crazy, unable to control myself I launch on the male before me. Pulling him forwards and pressing my lips on his with my hands ending up in his hair.

He didn't respond, not even one flinch. _Oh, no! What have I done?!_ Slowly and awkward I broke our kiss. Looking down, too scared to look him in the eyes. The cold touch of his fingers went to my neck, while his hook was pressing under my chin.

Causing me look in his eyes, where the lust reflected. A grin on his face, like he expected this from the beginning. "Greedy are we?" _Greedy?_ My cheeks burned up and I slapped his hand away.

Silence filled the room, in the past you would hear the voices of singing pirates and the sound of their feet stamping on the main deck. Now, a beautiful silence was present. Our eyes were glaring at each other, trying to sense who will lose the seducing fight.

 _He told me he is leaving tomorrow; going to be the Pirate King. That was what he promised himself as he saw the king of pirates being executed in front of his eyes. When he left the island for awhile he ended up in Loguetown, where everything eventually ended up in experiencing more death._

 _"Be save..."_ I had let him leave with those two words, I wasn't allowed to come with him; too dangerous. Even if I truly meant it with my whole heart, I was eventually the one who did the reckless part.

After receiving a wanted poster of Crocodile, I knew I couldn't just stand there knowing he was being an idiot. I was going to find him, even if it meant to go the Grand Line! I was marking that promise as I took a bite of the Devil Fruit.

Word Count: 3627

 **Please watch this video on Youtube:** Wattpad Story Skin Shedding Chapter 2

Time skips between:

 **Present**  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

|  
 **23/17 years ago**  
Age 12 to 18  
Crocodile: Age 21 to 26


	5. Dice

**Music^** **: Mazzy Star- Into dust (Parra for Cuva edit)**

?  
 **21 years ago**  
Age 14  
Crocodile: Age 23  
?

"Akari, do you like gambling?" The twenty-three years old male asked, while watching me count some Belly. "Gambling... but that's not a fair game, you know. The chances are even, so it doesn't matter what you are betting... only hoping luck stays on your side."

 _After the accident with Crocodile, who lost his left hand after he saved me, we took a distance from each other. Even if the distance decreased by every time we saw one another, it was weird to see him and knowing he wouldn't say anything to me..._

 _My thoughts made me realize I was doing stupid, just as he was. So, I was wanted to give something in return, something what could save his life. It was quite hard to something..._

 _I wanted him to give something, what wouldn't hide his sacrifice but... maybe even present it with proudness. Eventually an idea popped up, after a crew member told me he was a blacksmith at his hometown._

 _So, I knew what I wanted to give him. A hook. A golden hook made of the gold I had stolen from others... to show him I lived because of him. I could collect a lot of gold, because he had made it possible for me to live further. That I could do something on my own, being able to survive on my own. Not needing any help... right?_

Slowly there started a sound, a slow but steady chuckle, leaving Croco's mouth _._ He wasn't agreeing with my statement of 'luck'. "I'm sorry, _Princess._ " He claimed with a smile, "but you are wrong!" I laughed in return, while Croco grabbed me with his new hook through my jacket and rose me into the air.

My feet were a few inches from the ground, only my toes touching the surface. Ever since I tried to create the perfect hook _;_ which represented Crocodile, he always randomly kept me in the air. Almost as he was showing me he was happy with everything I give him. Of course, I wasn't satisfied until there were no further improvements needed.

"So, you like this one?" I asked, my emotions changing into seriousness. Well, it was quite a serious subject for me, so I didn't joke about it. He carefully put me back on the ground and stared at his golden hook, eyeing the master piece. "It's perfect..."

"By the way, I want to show you something..." His eyes twinkled with hope, really wanting to show me the trick he had practiced for weeks. I didn't move a muscle, not knowing what was going to happen.

"Look..." He explained softly. My golden eyes followed his eyes, ending up by his right hand. Carefully he opened his hand, revealing some dice. My mind went blank, not quite expecting some dice. He moved his fingers, causing the dice to roll on his palm.

Within a few seconds, sand appeared with the objects in his hand. Sand started to move around Croco's hand, displaying an underground for the spectacle. A little tornado moved the dice around on his hand, while he carefully blew against it.

The unexplained tornado flew into the air, slowly landing in front of me. The sand disappeared as a fast as it showed itself. The dice rolled on the ground until it stopped moving.

"Did you see it?" Oh yes, I saw it. "I-idot..." Crocodile still stared at the dice, what perfectly landed before me. A few drops of tears had hit the ground, some covering the dice, which all fell on number six.

"I-idot..." I repeated. My hands wiping away the tears. Croco looked up, his eyes meeting the ones of a sad expression. "Because of me... you now..." I mumbled, while blaming myself. _He didn't wanted to make me cry, he just wanted to make me smile again._

"I can protect you now." He repeated, while pulling my in a hug. The coat covered both of us, my arms were around his waist, crying against his crest...

Even if the accident created a distance, it eventually made us discover... that the distance itself, only made our relationship stronger. Knowing what each of us was capable of, what we would do for the other.


	6. 3 Emotional Misconception

**Music^** **: Cartoon-Why We Lose(feat. Coleman Trapp)**

Chapter 3: Emotional Misconception  
️Present

 _I have made stupid decisions through my years. Like, really really stupid. I had a good friend, who accepted me without doubting me any moment. I had never doubted him, I could at least return that favor. He was always very honest, almost blunt if that explains it better._

 _Except, I wasn't honest with him in the end. I didn't tell him I had left, I never said anything about leaving, I wanted to prevent him to get hurt, even though it had hurt him even more._

 _Because of this person, I learned to stand up again, after Croco had let me go two years before it... I realized I was indeed lonely: He understood me, but didn't ask questions about it. So, I returned it; not asking questions about his past, still supporting him through the couple of years._

 _He was like a brother, who I have never had. Sadly, I had to leave. Why? I didn't feel home, not like an home I wanted to have. I wanted to travel until I found my home. When Croco had left I didn't have a purpose anymore to live on my island. Yes, I could live a normal life, maybe the perfect life for any other person. It didn't feel the same anymore._

 _Every time I stood up I felt lonely, I didn't have anything to thinks positive about, nothing to hope for, nobody who I could worry about. I couldn't tell if it was killing me or making me stronger. I had to get out of there!_

 _So, I hated everything what happened or what lived on that island, right? Well, no... not everything. My parents were kind people. Too kind, almost as they saw through everyone's bad side._

 _That's not a bad thing, of course. My dad went back to his pirate life. He was a pirate in his younger years, but had quit when my mom appeared. They fell in love at first sight, unable to leave each other's side._

 _We always knew he missed the sea, the adventures. He had a big scar under his right eye and it went from his ear to his chin, also damaging his mouth. Instead of hating it, he was very proud of it actually, he was a man who accepted it with whole his heart._

 _Once in a while a ship passed, so my dad waited until he thought it was time, time to go back into the sea. Before he left, my mom gave him a necklace with a picture of me and my mother. So he knew we were always with him._

 _After a year we heard he had died in battle, being killed by an horrible heartless man. The only thing what we had left of him was the necklace, it was returned to us after a few months we heard the horrible news._

 _We lived further, always thinking about him and thanking him for everything he gave us. When I grew up, beginning to live my teen years, I realized what kind of world I was living in._

 _Well, on what kind of island I lived. The people around us, only thinking about themselves. If you could give something they wanted, then they could help you. Only then._

 _So, that's when I didn't understand my mother: the kindness she gave away for free. Why?! They were selfish creatures! Did they even give their condolences when dad died? My mom and I weren't on the same page anymore..._

 _I ignored her, I acted like a spoiled child. Hating the one who killed dad, but instead of telling it to mom... I started to release my hate on my own mother._

 _Eventually, I never thanked her for the life I could live, even after accepting the struggle of living in this kind of world. Never listened to her, not even in the end. If I just understood her earlier! If I just could go back to the past._

 _Saying I loved her, telling her it was my fault all along. I just want to tell her I'm sorry; for not noticing her life was in danger, for not being with her when she needed me the most._

 _Before the Dancing Pirates arrived on our island, there were cruel men. They wanted money in return for protection. If the money could not be paid, then there was no point in protection those who couldn't pay._

 _Why wasting protection and food on those? It always happened fast, in the night. No warnings. Capturing the responsible one, taking them away to a far unknown place._

 _It was full moon that day, the sky was clear, stars shining on the island. If the pirates just showed up one day earlier, just one. Then my mom would still be with me. I don't know where she is, I just know she is somewhere, alive._

️ Memory: 1 year ago

"You there!" A strong voice roared. _It could be for anyone, so I walked further_. _I had found myself in the streets of a very busy city_. A spiky and cold point was pressed against my neck, with a jump I turned around.

My hair wiped the weapon away, which was now as long that it almost touched the ground. Normally I wouldn't start the fight so aggressive, I think it's because I got attacked in my back, not very kind of the person.

 _My hair is strong as a tail, allowing to give me more balance and an ability to protect myself, kind of an extra limb. It can break, though. Luckily it will grow back fast, maybe in a few days it would look like it never broke._

My feet went up into the air as I landed on my hands. The ground moved under me, eventually it was under my feet again. The weapon what was in my neck moments ago, was now pinned in a stone wall, causing crumbled pieces of wall to fall on the ground.

Screams surrounded me and the attacker, most of the people ran away from the current duel. The cape what I was wearing, flew off while doing the recent backflip. It was taken away by the wind, when it came off my shoulders. My face was now fully exposed to the outside world.

We stood in front of each other, analyzing one another from head to toe. Except my eyes did't leave his face. _It can't be..._ He, someone who I haven't seen since ages, stood before me _._

My breath was taken away for a second. My instinct kicked in, warning me about the man who stood before me. _Oh no! I have to get out of here._ He took a step forwards, looking at me with an angry expression.

My feet started moving, allowing me to run away to side streets, going to one of the most busy place. _If I just blend in with the tourists... Why is he here in all places?! Of all places, I choose this one to restart my life. Many pirates stock here up for supplies. Oh I forget... the Marine also has to get supplies..._

 _I wasn't here to stock things up, but I was here to start a life. Not a really friendly place, but it wasn't depressing either. Well, I'm thirty four, I know a lot about the Grand Line._

 _All the stories I have heard from all the people who I have met. Stories who were told from different kind of perspectives. It's not a fair life, it doesn't pity you. If you don't take risks, you can't create a future. I stayed in the past for too long. So, taking risks it will be!_

I looked behind me, checking if he was still following me. Nobody stood behind me, the coast was clear. I let myself drop on the ground, with my back sliding against a wall. "I got away..."

A sigh escaped my mouth, realizing my heart could slow down a bit. My hand went to my waist, expecting to feel my new weapon on my side. Nothing was there. _Where did it go?_ I looked down, only eyeing a piece of rope. _Did it fall off?_

Little flashbacks of the fight came back to me, remembering a move where I saw something in his hands. _He stole it?!_ I kicked some little stones away with my feet. "All for nothing?! I just wanted something to defend myself with... Is that too much to ask?" I mumbled in myself. _I hope he didn't recognized me, I mean he knows how I looked like when I joined the Marines._

 _I also guess, he wouldn't be happy if he finds out I'm not siding with the Marines anymore. I thought that the Marines could help me, help me defeat my enemy. Well, my enemy was revenge... I thought. But I was wrong. It was myself, the one in the mirror who I avoided for years, the reflection of the person in the water._

My heart stopped for a moment. I slowly looked up, meeting the eyes of the one who was a good friend of mine, many years ago. I couldn't move, my whole body froze. He stood before me. _B-but how? I was sure I lost him! But I'm faster than him, I always was..._ His eyes pierced through mine, looking at me like I was the bad guy.

 _I think I have a reason why he thinks that._ Smoke started to come from his body, like he mixed with it. He came closer and closer. _No, not now! We can't meet now!_ Without any words I left him all alone in the street. My feet helped me get away, while my thoughts were somewhere else. Slowly smoke started to come closer to me, slightly touching me.

 _I know I shouldn't have stolen that double bladed sword, but I can't protect myself if I have nothing! He didn't saw me steal it, but one little girl did. Brown hair with a pink ribbon and a smile like she enjoyed busting me._

 _She screamed for her dad, but he didn't appear. With the stolen item in my hand I ran to the back of the shop. I took a cape from a guy, who tried to sell it to some people. I flipped a coin of 100 beri in his hands. That was just a few minutes before I got a weapon poked in my neck..._

A chuckle echoes through the small streets, like it was him who ran beside me. I had left him just moments ago, how did he catch up?! _He never was so fast. He didn't eat a Devil Fruit, did he?_

 _No... that is not the person I knew back then. Why would he have eaten one in the first place? H-he didn't because I had left, right? Does he know it's me? How would he now it's me!? He only knows Hikaru..._

My feet slowly left the ground, my speed decreased. Eventually I couldn't move anymore. Smoke had me trapped in mid-air. _N-no!_ It was silence for a while, both knowing who had won. A sigh was released behind me, realizing it was game over.

I tried to keep my face away from him. "Do you think I wouldn't recognize you?!" His grip around my arms became tighter, emotions controlling his strength. _Of course, he would be mad..._

"S-smoker, you are h-hurting me..." The air was pushed out of my lungs. He got out of his thoughts, so his grip became less tight. "I thought you were dead..." _Wait, what_? "D-dead?!"

"So, you left without saying anything?!" Smoker's voice raised while he put one of his hands through his hair. "After a year there was still nothing known about you, no information." He was too confused about the situation; someone who disappeared out of his life, returning 12 years later.

The most twisted thing of all, his good friend was a _she_ all along! Having _her_ under supervision for three years, thinking _she_ was a reckless person but awesome at the same time. Looking up at that person, even though _she_ was one rank under himself. If _she_ just accepted her Devil Fruit Powers, then _she_ would be a Lieutenant, at minimum exceptions! _Me, in other words._

He saw me behind the iron bars, while I just stared at him. We were by a Marine's base, where of course, also cells were placed for temporarily prisoners. _I don't even know if I have go to Impel Down..._ I just sat on the cold floor, not caring about getting dirty. _I can't believe it's really him._

 _He had changed, a lot. His appearance looked more fierce, more daring. He was a Captain now, and apparently ate a Devil Fruit. Not that I liked that very much, compared how I thought about my decision of eating one. Did he not listen to my warnings of 'not eating' one?!'_

After a few minutes he stood before me, staring at me. _Does he look at me as Akari? The woman, who sailed and traveled across the sea, the one who had forgotten him. What if he looked at me as Hikaru? The reckless boy he found, offered him a place to stay under command._

"S-Smoker? I know what I did was wrong but I did it to protect you..." _I tried to communicate with him, what was harder than I thought_. "Protect me?! You mean lying to me for all these years!" He paused for a moment, trying to catch some air for the upcoming sentences.

"Letting me think you were dead because you wanted to protect me?! From what, huh?...From your selfishness?" Tears started to fill my eyes. "I never thought you would assume I was... _dead_." I softly tried to explain, knowing it wouldn't reach him.

I stood up, not sitting on the floor anymore. "Just... understand... please?" I slowly walked to the iron bars, trying to get some kind of reaction from him. _Don't be so stubborn... idiot..._

His back was turned to me, not allowing me to look in his eyes. My hand rested on the cold feeling of seastone, feeling my strength being drained. _He doesn't want to hear anything from me, I guess..._

"Akari was it now, right?" _He wanted to talk?_ "My name was always Akari..." I admitted. _Yeah... I never told him my real name, I only told one person why I got the name Hikaru... maybe I can tell him._

His shoulders relaxed a bit. He turned around, finally. His expressions were not so aggressive as the first moments. _Oh One Piece... I missed this guy._ "Why didn't you choose your real name instead? You accept what you are, right?" He walked forwards, eventually standing before me.

 _My real name, my real self... it would maybe have made some things easier. Just saying I was both persons. My life could have ended many years ago, maybe even already at the beginning... Do I accept both of my sides?_

"I chose it without knowing the consequences..." I reached for his hand, through the bars. I took his hand, pulling him closer, allowing me to look him directly in the eyes. "But there was my brightness, when I was sitting in the shadows."

I turned around, leaving him there all alone before releasing my grip around his hand. _Did he hear me?_ "That person was the one who let me live... freely" My knees gave up, causing me to sit on the floor, again. My face was pointed to the wall, trying to get used to it. _I will be here for quite a while..._

An ear piercing sound was scratching on the floor. With a swift movement I looked behind me. _The door was open_. "Then, I can't keep you here... if you want to resume living freely." Smoker stood by the door entrance with... a grin on his face.

️Present

"Hey, hey... Sweetheart." _My throat.. it's like I had screamed._ "Sweetie?" _My eyes... it's like I had cried._ "Wake up..." _Why did I cry? Did I had a nightmare?_ "Akari...it's alright." A careful touch landed on her cheek, feeling the warmth of someone's body heat.

She opened her eyes, looking straight into the pair of the captain. "Shanks?" He smiled a little, leaving a sigh of relieve. "W-what's wrong?" He shook his head, while removing his hand from her face. Instead of pulling back his hand, it went up to her hair, carefully stroking it.

She heard a sniff, like someone had cried or just had a stuffy nose. Eventually, she realized it was her. So, she blinked a few times with her eyes, while thinking about what she had dreamt about. _Why am I crying? Did I have a nightmare?_

Shanks however, picked up a few words when she mumbled in her sleep. A few names to be exact... Does he have to be worried? He doesn't know her that well, let stand knowing her past. Without opening old wounds, he wants to know her. Except, she made clear that she want to let the past behind.

 _Yesterday, after the drinking competition, she and Shanks walked back to the cabin where the woman slept for the time being. She told him about her search for her home, a home she hasn't found yet. She was drunk, too drunk to realize she talked all the time._

 _Shanks was leading her back to her bedroom, causing her to talk in her sleep. Well, was half asleep, but slightly awake. She knew she was led back to bed, but the white haired woman forgot who she was talking to._

 _When Shanks wanted to leave her room, she begged him to stay. She felt lonely, even through all the happiness. He expected that she will shout at him in the morning, about accepting the offer while knowing she was drunk._

 _Some things made him curious, though. Those names, who he heard her mumble about, weren't uncommon names. Has she talked to them? Does she know them? What kind of relations did she had with them? Are those men... her past?_

 _He knew that she didn't have a normal life. Everyone on the ship knew she had eaten a Devil Fruit, assuming it by her rare eye-color and extraordinary hair. Furthermore, her skin was really cold._

 _But what kind of Devil Fruit did she eat? What has she become? Of course, she is still like everyone else. Didn't she take it on own behalf? Did she eat it to protect herself? To protect someone else?_

Questions went up his mind all the time. He looked down on her, hearing her heart in a steady beat. She fell asleep. With his arm was locked in her embrace, he carefully lay down next to her.

The young woman's head was on his arm as their faces was pointed to one another with their legs ending up tangled with each other. "I promise I won't leave you. _Never_." The white haired mumbled in her sleep, already dreaming about an other memory. Her last words stayed on Shanks mind, knowing it was meant for someone else.

Word Count: 3223

Time skips between:  
 **Present**  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

|  
 **1 year ago**  
Age 34 to 35  
Smoker: Age 33 to 35


	7. Marine Base

**Music^** **: Foreign Air- In The Shadows**

?  
 **1 year ago**  
Age 34  
Smoker: Age 33  
?

"It was you, wasn't it?" His voice sounded harsh and direct, still unable to properly look into my eyes. Smoker had opened the cell's door a few hours ago and we ended up chatting about where we have been through.

"What do you mean?" I asked at him, while following his gaze into the city. We were walking through the streets, watching other people while talking further. My double-bladed sword was still taken, hopefully getting it back at the end of the day.

"A few years ago when Baroque Work became more known..." He looked at his surroundings, viewing over a few damaged houses. "there was a male under the name Mr. 6." Smoke was coming out of his mouth, every sentence pushing a gray cloud forwards.

"Killing many marines and once even Billions." I walked next to him, except my pace slowly decreased, my bare feet touching the fragile ground. "After that he practically disappeared. No information, nothing." Before I could respond or think at anything to say at him at all, he stopped walking.

My shoulder bumping against his arm, waking up from my deep thoughts. "Until it seemed he was living among the shadows, following untrusted people who were under command of Baroque Works. To slaughter them in the end if they didn't follow Mr.0's orders." I just couldn't look him into the eyes, knowing it was me from the mentioned name: Mr.6.

"So, you aren't going to talk anymore? Well, then we will walk back and you will hand yourself in." _Hand myself in? Wait!_ "No! I mean it was me, yes! Except..." Tears started to fall down my cheeks. "I..." My eyes went to the male, my hands grabbing to his jacket while my knees felt weak.

 _I know I made mistakes, but I won't get caught. I accepted being a pirate and that gives me strength. I sometimes let tears roll down my face, but that doesn't mean I'm weak. Not weak in appearance, maybe slightly on the inside..._

He turned around, a sudden chuckle leaving his mouth. A hand was put on my head, ruffling my white hair. "I was joking, Speedy." Smoke traveled into my face, causing me to remove my tears by the irritated feeling of smoke in my golden eyes. _Speedy... haven't heard that name since a very long time._

"You know I never liked those _jokes_." I sobbed softly with my hands wiping away the fallen tears. "You once got so mad," Smoker started, throwing his arm around my shoulders to walk further. Not many people looked up to the scene, everyone being busy with their own business.

"that I destroyed your uniform with my claws..." I finished, a little smile appearing on my face as I thought back to the memory on the training's base. "You remembered the face of our captain?! He was mad and confused at the same time!" Without any other words my voice already reached the next street, finally letting him hear my own laugh.

 _It was nice to talk to him again, now showing my real self._ "Smoker?" "Hm?" We, the two Devil Fruit Users, were by a bar, enjoying our first drink together as a pirate and marine. "How is it as a Marine?" He took a gulp of his beer, enjoying the alcoholic taste from his drink.

"How is it as a pirate?" He asked back, not answering with the answer I wanted to hear. _What did I want to hear? That it's the best choice of his life? Or maybe that being a pirate would properly have been better?_ "Well, quite _normal_ I guess...?" I didn't even understand myself, just saying the word normal like it's... normal?

"Same for me." He exclaimed, while asking the bartender to give me another drink. I had found myself drinking sake, a bit more than usual. "Maybe..." Smoker started with his eyes on the liquid in front of him. "being normal is the best choice. Seeing what you can do without any help."

 _He talks about his Devil Fruit. Why did he eat it in the first place? In the past he once talked about it, but nothing positive about it, though. Does he regret it? What if it was my fault?_ I tried to ask him one more question, but only his snoring kept my mouth shut. _He fell asleep_.


	8. 4 Forgetting the Unforgettable

Chapter 4: Forgetting the Unforgettable

️Memory: 15 years ago

 _Once I have killed this man, I will slice up those other two. If I'm quick, I maybe can catch up with the captain of the pirate crew. Well, captain from the, soon, all dead members._ My fingers traced over the neck from the man in front of me, his breathing was unsteady as an human who just caught air.

 _I had his throat in my hands a few moment ago, so I thinks that's the reason behind it_. "P-Please..." _He can still talk? Impressive._ I turned the man around, eventually his eyes met mine.

"I hate getting blood on my clothes." I started, while holding my gaze on the scared male. "I mean seriously, I hate it. It's quite the job to get the blood strains removed." The man looked at me horrified. "So... my point is. I will let you live," The man's eyes lit up. _What cute._

"If you kill those two men." My index finger pointed into the direction, where two unconscious men lay on the ground. With my free hand I cocked his head to where I was pointing at. His face showed, again, an horrified expression.

 _If he thought he could get away this easily, then that means pigs will never be able to fly. Poor pigs._ "If you run, scream or anything what doesn't involve murdering people..." Slowly but with a big smile on my face, I moved my thumb across my throat. "You. are. dead."

He was still staring at me, like a statue. "Understood?" With a gulp he stood up, his knees almost giving up under him. His mind was going crazy, realizing he had to kill two of his crew members. _I'm too cruel... I love it._

Before I could do anything, my body got swept up, ending up laying on the ground. "...get your friends out of here." _I guess, I'm excluded by that sentence._ With my eyes pointed to the sky, a few birds passed while a smoke stream started to block the beautiful view.

My eyes traveled up, following the stream of smoke. A boy stood behind me, dressed in a Marine uniform. _Ughh... the Marines._ In a second I was standing before the boy, who clearly didn't expect my sudden movement. His light blue/green hair was the first thing what caught my eye.

He stood steady on his feet, looked at me like I was garbage. A _dramatical failure. Why? Because of the little cigaret he had in his mouth. The thing what ticked me off the most, was that smirk on his face. Like it was stuck on there forever_. "I may look weak, but don't get fooled by my appearance."

My voice got stronger by every word, like I once believed what I said. _Normally, I would promise myself something, like tomorrow I'm going to do something useful! Didn't happen once._ Without noticing he had handcuffed me, handcuffs from Seastone.

 _~The out of control killer slowly drowned in a slumber, its conscious drifting away. Feeling being ripped apart, like the massive amount of power was finally being controlled by the user itself.~_

"You have to come with me, these handcuffs are for your own safety." I stared at my hands, who were next to each other, unmovable. "We have heard from you, Devil's Grin." My eyes went straight to his, blinking a few times of confusion.

 _What?_ "Sorry, what did you say? I thought I had heard the most _ridiculous_ name ever." _Devil's Grin? I know I smile a lot, but assuming it's from the Devil? Idiots._ I had myself caught up in my thoughts, thinking about who came up with this name.

A shadow was thrown over my face. It was a wanted poster. I tried to reach it with one hand, of course the other hand went with it. _Stupid handcuffs._ The piece of paper was in my hands as I read the text what was pressed on it with ink: Wanted, Dead or Alive, _Devil's Grin_ , _**Bʃ**_ 23.000.000-, some bull shit and the word _Marine_.

"You know you guys could have asked my name, right?" _Oh and don't forget the picture!... a horrible picture of me. I hope I can change the name and photo as fast as possible._

 _~Something snapped inside the head of the killing machine, like a switch turning off.~_

"Are you still listening?" I slowly nodded, having no idea where he was talking about. A paper got ripped out of my hands. "Until you agree with the deal, I have to treat you like we do by every pirate." _Deal? Pirate?_ My feet didn't move anymore, disagreeing with the statement that the boy just made. _Who is he? What did I do?_

He bumped against my back. "Oi, keep walking." He was a head taller than me, so I could see him upside down when I looked above me. "I'm not a pirate." My statement made him stop talking, because he mumbled something about 'spending time for more useful things'.

Suddenly a smirk came on his face. "Well, then what would you like? Murderer, criminal, culprit or maybe outlaw." _Bastard._ "No, thanks... You can call me-" _Oh no... What is my name? How long have I been gone? Oh can't use my real name, right? What did I do wrong this time?_ "-Hikaru."

 _Sadly for the white haired woman, she could only remember last the moment. She woke up from a long sleep. Not knowing what she did. Was it even her? Well, she named her second personality: Hikaru._

 _The male who slaughtered pirates for the past two years, was nothing but a confused young woman losing control of her abilities. Of course, she didn't know what happened or what was going to happen. While the Marine boy saw the reckless Hikaru, he didn't know what was hidden inside the human and what kind of problems she had caused the past two years._

️Present

"Shanks?" The female pirate woke up and turned around, expecting that the man was still laying besides her. She remembered little bit from yesterday, even the part she asked the one-armed man to stay. When she turned around she found only an empty spot, what was cold, being the only one in the oversized bed for minimal an hour.

She saw some light from under the door. _It's already day?_ With her skinny hands she removed the blanket, her legs went to one side of the bed. In one try she stood up, while her arms made sure she didn't lose her balance. She took two steps but fell back on bed.

 _Arghh... my head. It feels like someone had hit me with a stone. Who would do such thing?_ Her hands went up to her head, sighing deep. _Who would hit me with a stone? How could I lose to someone who throws with stones?_

A few memories of the night before came back to her. She almost won the drinking competition, until she got stuck in her thoughts. _I guess I didn't got hit with a stone... I lost to my drunkenness side..._

After a few minutes, she was able to stand up properly. On her bare feet she walked away, on her way to the kitchen. It didn't matter where she was, she had to have a wall on one of her sides to keep her balance. Now even her tail-like hair couldn't help her.

She greeted everyone with a smile, like she did every day. Today, apparently, wasn't like the days she had spent on the ship. The crew members were all laying in the shadows, complaining about how their heads were hurting.

Actually, not all the crew members were laying on deck. Shanks stood together with a few men on the quarterdeck. They all looked at the sea, at the lonely and quiet view... where there was nothing to see but an endless amount of water.

"Good morning gentlemen!" She sheered as she walked to them. None of them replied. "Well, I didn't know a fun party could lead to such grumpy attitu-!" Suddenly the ship moved from the left to the right, until the it almost overturned to the left side. The sound of things rolling over the deck, crew members trying to stand on their feet surrounded all the pirates.

The woman's body got dragged to the floor, almost being swiped from deck. Her nails extended, allowing her to dig into the deck. She looked at her left, where Shanks stood with the few crew members moments ago. All of them got a hold on something, luckily.

Except one of the weak, still headache, crew member went overboard, not able to do something as he went unconscious by hitting his head against the wooden railing. Her reflexes caused her to jump to the helpless soul, grabbing him with her hair as a tail getting a hold on something. With only her right hand she hang on the side of the ship, trying to keep both of them above water.

"Akari, hold on!" A particular but worried voice shouted. She looked in front of her, as her back was against the ship. The ship got back its balance, so everyone was able to stand up again. An enormous _Marine_ ship sailed next to theirs. A few marines looked down on the female and the unconscious male.

"Does the lady need any help?" One of them asked, with a dirty smile on his face. She didn't know why he got such an ugly expression on his face... until she looked down for a second. Her skirt was ripped, right under her breasts.

Her right hand on the railing kept them both safe, so the skirt _might_ have been pulled up a bit more... on the right side... An unknown power boost was present as she took a swing back on deck.

She pushed both of them from the side of the ship with a kick from her legs, creating a kind of a backflip because of still holding on to the railing. "Y-you pervert!" She roared with all the air in her lungs, but that didn't change the situation.

Someone pushed Akari to the ground, causing her to let go of the unconscious crew member. Shanks was hovering over her. "What are you doing?" She asked him, but didn't get a reply. His eyes were reflecting a focused but protective attitude, like he had to make sure she was unharmed.

She looked on both of her sides. Marines were jumping on the ship, fighting with all their might. _We are under attack..._ Her concentration shot back to Shanks, before she saw him stand up. As the captain was back on his feet, marines started to notice both of them. "Get them!"

She turned around, half running and crawling to hide behind the barrels. Fortunately, nobody noticed her, while she could see the whole scene perfectly. There were eventually more marines than pirates, almost making the prediction of the end of the battle assured. _Even if Shanks is strong... it was like he couldn't concentrate. His mind being on something else or someone._

With her head in her thoughts, the red haired man got her attention back on the current situation. Swords slashing against each other, blood spreading on the wooden floor and shouts of excitement shared between the different teams. Some duels ending faster than others.

 _Shanks and I talked a bit about me through the two weeks. I never told him more information than a few words each time, but that was enough to know what he could expect from me. Of course, I didn't realized that until now..._

 _Eventually he asked me, even if I told him thousand times no, to help him and the crew when the moment is right. He assured me that the moment wouldn't happen any soon... that he could protect me. Except I can't stand still..._

She thought about how they will respond to her appearance. Will they still accept her, after seeing her in _that hideous form?_ _Oh One Piece..._ She breathed in and stood up, while straightened her back.

 _Never though I was willing to change again._ Her arms went to a certain height; making herself look big. _That must have been a long time ago..._ She breathed out; First the rope what kept ponytail together snapped, her hair covering her back like strong a shield.

 _Well, they saved my life..._ Some strands of hair stuck out of the _shield_ , like deadly thorns. Her eyes were shining, piercing through every marine's soul. Her pointy teeth were showed when a smirk appeared on her face.

Her head cocked to one side, looking at five marines who stepped on the Red Hair Pirates' ship. One of them noticed her glare, like a deer noticing the predator. As she took her first step, the rest followed automatically. Her nails left scratches on the wooden deck, traces from her previous standing place to the five marines.

Who were one by one, pushed into the sea. One of them got a hold of the railing, until his arm was no longer attached to his body. A hopeless scream went into the sea, the sea what was so calm only minutes ago.

While she ran from enemy to enemy, her mind slowly changed into a hunting state. Voices surrounded her, not knowing anymore if it was from a crew member of a Marine. Her actions weren't planned anymore, she just ran and ran until she got their scents.  
Allowing her to get rid of any scent what wasn't present on this ship through the two weeks.

Her mind slowly drifted off, showing the side which got her into trouble multiple times. Her way of breathing changed, just like her way of behaving. It went from prepared and focused to reckless and foolish...

️Memory: 13 years ago

 _After three years being with the Marine, this will be a good time to leave. If I stayed any longer, I would be promoted to Ensign. Not an important promotion, but enough to make it more difficult to leave this place._

 _They are very fond of me, expecting great things from me. Of course, if they knew I was a woman; they wouldn't say it, not even thinking it. When I was captured by Smoker, I was brought to the higher ranks, they offered me a very good deal. If I opened myself to the rules of justice, I would become a marine._

 _First I laughed my ass off, not taking them seriously at all. But... when they talked about my second choice... prison. I accepted it right away. Already 'enjoying' my new future._

 _With not using my Devil Fruit possibilities at its highest in those three years, I have been under supervision of a certain Marine. I don't like being in hybrid-form, don't let me even explain what I think about my beast form!_

 _The one who kept an eye on me, had to try to let me accept my Devil Fruit Abilities, at its fullest! Of course, I never accepted it. After I left my old home, I have wandered around the sea for two years. I traveled from village to village, most of the time surviving in the wild._

 _That was before I realized, what kind of animal I was... Until he found me... That person who watches over me, is one year younger than me, has Ensign as rank. He has the kanji 'Justice' on his back and I have never seen him without a cigar. I fear that he will end up with two cigars in his mouth, like one isn't enough for him._

 _The worst thing is; well, if it's counted as worst, it isn't that bad. Doesn't matter where he goes, he doesn't wear a shirt. Just a jacket. Doesn't he get cold? Also, he always wears gloves... does he have a fetish against getting dirty? I never asked him that kind of stuff._

 _Of course, I can't accuse him for anything he wears, what he does or how he is. Like, if I walked by like an acceptable Marine. Me being a woman, dressed as a man. Hair cut short and with some use of the Devil Fruit; camouflage. My camouflage 'state' can wear off if I let my guard down..._

 _Sadly, I can't walk with a bare chest. So, bandages wrapped around my body to hide my woman body features with a white shirt covering it. Stupid hips and breasts, because of that I sweat like an otter when it's a sunny day! So almost every day!_

 _Further, I am dressed like I should, except I pull the collar up from my jacket at its highest to hide my face best as possible. Only my golden eyes reflect from the darkness, while hiding under the visor of the cap._

 _The name Hikaru, who I'm using as an undercover as a male, will soon belong to the disappeared Marine... I don't dislike where I'm now, no I love it truly! Except it doesn't feel right._

 _My body just wants to move, travel until my soul has found its place! With three years of hard training, it is time to leave. What am I going to do next? Well, if I can get away without getting followed... that would be a great help._

I climbed on the wall, eventually sitting on the top with my legs to one side. My back faced the trainings camp, as I saw the beautiful sea. I only have to jump and then I am free.

 _I can start my adventure, in search of my perfect place: home. Finding Crocodile and being able to live in peace... I_ looked back one more time, able to see the whole terrain of the Marines. The place where I trained and worked but also shared a wonderful time with the people who surrounded me...

My eyes traveled on the training ground, expecting a certain person. There he was... running over the area, searching for his comrade, his nakama, who will be gone for quite some time.

 _I never saw him run that fast, he has more strength than speed. I think I will miss him, when I realize how idiotic my idea was about leaving... Even though I didn't tell him anything about my sudden decision of leaving, I know we would meet again when the time is right. 'We will meet again, Smoker.'_

️Present

 _'Breath in... breath out... focus my pretty bird_... _'_ Her eyes snapped open, trying to see where she was. _On a ship?_ Her mind was mixed up, letting old memories slip through the locked gate; The past. _I can't think of the past now... I don't need that man anymore. I left him behind anyways... I don't regret my decision... right?_

 _Well, she said she left him behind, that she never wanted to talk about it. Except nobody knows that she thinks about him. Through daytime when she eats, while training, when she talks with someone... doesn't matter what kind of situation. She just can't help it._

"Akar-" She tensed up, turned around and grasped the wrist of the one standing behind her. Someone had grabbed her by the shoulder. _Why? Who?_ Her eyes scanned the whole situation. _A man._

She took a step back, while letting go of the person. _Red hair._ "S-Shanks?" It was more a question than just saying a name... with the hesitation at the beginning made a few men look up. She sighed, being _oh_ so relieved that there was nothing dangerous going on.

"Oh sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. What did we talk about again?" She asked the man, who she knows a bit. It was quiet for a few second, before the red haired man talked again. "You don't remember?" _Remember? Was it that important!?_

"The fight." _Wait? Did I miss a fight within the crew? Dammit._ "I was sleeping?" She asked back. Causing to get more attention to the pair. "Akari, sweetheart..." he began, while he took a few steps to the woman before him. "The marines," He pointed to men with white and blue clothes. "attacked us and..."

The one armed man stroked her cheek with his right hand, slightly touching it with care. It almost felt like touching an antique teacup, too scared to break it. "you fought like there was no tomorrow."

"No one of us is seriously injured... thanks to you _._ " Her eyes were stuck on his face, the way his lips moved, how he looked at her. "..." _I fought... I fought against the marines. Today... I fought. Against. The Marine. I fought?!_

"Sweetie?" She shook her head. Her head slowly lowered, with her nose pointed to the floor. Her hair fell like a curtain around her. No emotions were seen. Everyone was silenced. A woman stood on deck, with her emotions unclear. Or how it is translated for men: She didn't say she is _not_ _alright_.

So, there must be something going on. A quiet sniff sound was coming off the curtain of white hair. "Don't be sad..." He tried to comfort her. Well, he had no clue what he was doing or saying. It was confusing enough for him even when she didn't have her hair before her face.

"I'm not sad..." A soft voice said, like a little girl convincing an adult she didn't eat candy. "I'm just" The sun started to shine again, the wind blew against the sails. "relieved that everyone is alright." Tears fell from her cheeks while her voice got stronger.

A bright big smile was on her face as she looked up, while releasing tears. _I didn't kill a nakama! Thank One Piece..._ Slowly she leaned forwards, needing support. "Ho, easy!" Shanks responded. The red headed met Akari in a hug, letting her lean on his shoulder.

Her gaze went from Shanks' face to the ground, but slowly went up to a marine. A marine being maybe the same age as her. She recognized his face from somewhere. The man quickly noticed her stare. Well, he followed the conversation a bit, not that he had better things to do.

He was tied up to the railing of the ship. His eyebrows suddenly were knitted together. _What is he thinking?_ "I know you..." The male mumbled very quiet. _Me? Wait I- Oh no! "_ Hik-!" His head hit the wooden railing in a swift second, causing him to go unconscious. He was unable to finish his sentence. _Hopefully nobody heard that._

While she checked if her knee was still scratch free, she felt the tightness of the hug lessen. She looked back up to Shanks, who looked at her with a surprised expression. _He saw me hit him?_ "Is something wrong? If you feel tired, just say it." _He didn't see it?_ He had let go of the hug, he eventually held on of her hands. _O no!_ She took her hand out of his.

With a few steps backwards, she eventually looked up to Shanks. "I remembered him from a long time ago. He once fought against a younger friend of mine... well, what you can call fighting." She switched from one foot to the other. Not quite knowing what to say. _Did I say too much? Does he know I'm lying?_

Her eyes swiftly went to the unconscious marine and back to Shanks, just to confirm if it was really someone she had met before. _How could I be so stupid! My safety is more in danger if I drag all the attention to me!_

 _I once trained with that marine, not to forget I saw him every day for more than two years straight! Hopefully, he understood what I meant with kicking him unconscious, because if the marine told that Hikaru is also me... I'm doomed._

Shanks showed a little smile and gave a nod. "Okay, I understand." He said. "Go to bed, you need your rest." She nodded and walked away from the captain. After she was around the corner, she grasped for air.

While time passed she got her breath back and her heartbeat steady. _There is something not... right._ She couldn't put her finger on it, like you remembered the melody of a song but not the name itself.

She still stood after a few minutes at the same spot, not moving a muscle. She wanted to walk to her temporally resting place, but she followed her instincts. _Look left, look left._

Her eyes met an other pair of eyes. _The first mate of this ship._ His eyes didn't stay on the same place very long, because he looked away when Akari noticed his gaze. _What was his name again?_

Her feet walked in a fast space, her hands went over the walls to support her balance. _I'm just tired. I'm seeing things what are not there. It's a weird day, that's all. Still have to get rid of the hangover... I just have to get used to the crew stuff again._

 _"...my point is, that it doesn't matter in the end. As long as you can protect what holds you dear. Maybe you can also call it just survival, everyone wants to survive as long as possible." Why am I reminded of those words? Why do I think about that moment? What happens in the past... stays in the past, right?_

?Word Count _: 4278_

 **Please, watch this video on Youtube** : Wattpad Story Skin Shedding Chapter 4

Time skips between:

 **Present**  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

|  
 **15/13 years ago**  
Age 20 to 22  
Smoker: Age 19 to 21

|  
 **17/15 years ago**  
Age 18 to 20


	9. Dressrosa

**Music^** **: Khai- Alive**

?

 **11 years ago**  
Age 24  
Doflamingo: Age 28  
?

A warm feeling was wrapped around me as a light snoring noise was released above me. The ticklish feeling of feathers were moving against my exposed skin. My eyes were slowly opening, being able to look at the big room.

Lying on a kingsized bed, not needing a blanket because of a certain male holding me in his grasp. _This wasn't the first night laying here. Not that something important happened, though. I always ended up in this room if the male felt lonely. That was always the excuse he told me_.

 _While the whole island is under his command... I was always the one he needed to cuddle with. Every time I try to get up, he would press me closer to his bare chest. His smell is like sweet strawberries with mint, leaving his scent on my maid clothes_.

One of his legs was hovering over my body, like I was a teddybear. His hand travels to my hair, while he sniffs my scent. "My pretty bird..." He mumbled in his sleep, pulling me closer to his body.

His strong grip was pushing all the air out of my lungs, his leg pressing me against the soft mattress, making it unable to breath. "D-doffy!" I tried to move away from him, but it only made it worse.

"L-let me go..." With my arms and legs I tried to get out, but it was no use. The only option left was to get him out of his sleep with a bit more violence. _Not that I want to but otherwise I will never wake up again!_

Slowly I let my nails grow, just wanting to get some proper air. My hand moved to his leg, which was still pressing me down, trying to dig my sharp nails into his skin. With only a little distance between the soon damaged skin and my hand, he suddenly gasped.

My whole body froze, waiting for him to wake up. Only the silence kept me waiting, his grip slowly loosen. "Don't leave me..." His sudden reaction caused my sharp nails to disappear, not wanting to hurt him.

 _What made me feel so delicately around this man? He does what he wants to do. He is selfish, he is just like a little kid, he is... the man I have fallen for_. "I promise I won't leave you. Never..."


	10. 5 Unexpected Conversation

**Music^** **: Phil Good- Sleeping in(The Steady Set Remix)**

Chapter 5: Unexpected Confrontation  
️Present

"I still don't understand why you had let those marines go." The woman growled. Oh, she wasn't really mad about the fact Shanks had let the marines go. Akari was still depressed after the whole fighting act.

 _Why can't I still not remember anything from it. I mean, after all those years not even one moment from it!_ Crew members thanked her for saving their lives, the moment when they were almost losing. Some even told stories about her amazing skills, causing to make her scared even more.

 _Chopping off someone's arm, throwing a few marines over board..._ "We now got their booze, that's enough for me." " _Of course_ , that's enough for you." She replied to the captain. First he nodded, but then his voice almost reached a high pitch. "What does _that_ mean?" _Just understand my frustration!_ "Oh nothing.." The irritated woman stated.

A few men around the two pirates felt the uneasy aura around the woman, but they were not the one, who had to look out for her rage. "Then why did you say it?" _Ughh men!_ "You know what? Never mind!" She threw her hands in the air and walked away. Walking to somewhere. She didn't even know it herself.

 _After the fight with the marines, Shanks announced that we were going on shore. There was an island only two hours away from our current position, so it was quite in reach. The Marine now knew where we were, so Shanks thought it would be a good idea to go to an island..._

 _Of course, the marines who were tied up on the Red Hair Pirates' ship got their own little boat, with some food and water. At least enough to survive a minimum time until they get saved... or they are just unlucky. Well, then they shouldn't have attacked the ship in the first place._

 _Was I too harsh? I shouldn't have shouted at him, right? Ughh! I hate being angry on someone, who is not a person I would hate in the first place. It's not he didn't deserve it. Well, it was not really a serious argument._

 _I mean they have other things to worry about. The Marine can show up any moment, again. The weather is always suspicious, an other pirate crew can show up. I now kind of understand why mom and dad didn't resume with their pirate life right away. All these possibilities of danger and then also watching a child?_

 _So, do I even want a child? A family with someone? My search to my home is already going for... too long. First my home would be with an awesome crew, having adventures all over the sea! Meeting people, meeting new friends. After a few 'homes' I thought I had found, I was reunited with Crocodile again._

 _All these years he was busy creating a world of his satisfaction. Eventually I ended up working for him in disguise being Hikaru, so not even telling him it was me all along. I realized he already had found his own home._

 _I didn't want to interrupt his life as it is going great, in his perspective. I wasn't that of a fan from his work, but hé... I'm not allowed to complain. I don't even know what I mean with 'home'. Is it like finding One Piece or All Blue? Traveling until you_ just _found it?_

 _The Red Hair Pirates are a crew which I have never met before. Through all the drinking and the fighting, there is a bond between all the members. I expect they want me gone as soon as possible. Of course, they don't want to kick a woman out of the ship or leave her behind by a random island._

 _Maybe by the next town I'm ready to go. I tell them that I can't thank them enough, that it was fun drinking with them, that I loved all the stories which were told and probably that the fight against the marines was kind of awesome in its own way._

 _They will be thankful that I'm no burden to them anymore, that they can continue their 'men' way of dealing stuff. Where do I have to go, when this is done? Should I just travel or maybe visit an old friend? Well, I can't really return to my old home town. Maybe there is a women crew somewhere?_

 _Ughh... that already sounds boring. I guess, I'm staying with them a little longer. Sadly I can't tell anyone about my other side; Hikaru. If something bad happens, I can always go under disguise. Even now, it's still very dangerous to travel alone as a woman... nobody has to tell me that._

️

Everyone was already off the ship and had settled with some booze. The only woman of the crew had found herself a place under a palm tree. Unfortunately, she woke up from her little nap. It was the cause of some idiot, who screamed and ran to the captain like a maniac. _Did the Marine found us again?_

She wasn't any nearby, where the lad had ran to, but she knew where the men were all drinking. Eventually, she stood up and walked to the beach, trying to understand the current situation.

A few of the younger and weaker men of the ship, who were less than a year with Shanks, had to be on the look out. Of course, without any alcohol. She heard them argue about a stupid argument.

Well, that was what she thought. Normally they were fighting because one of them ate from someone else's plate or they had to switch on the look out, but nobody wanted to stand as look out. Something like that.

"Captain is _so_ not going to be happy about this..." One of them mumbled after she got closer to the group. "About what?" She asked, while she walked around the crew members. Nobody answered, like they were scared to death. "Come on, gentlemen. Did you never learn any manners?" _At least tell me what is going on..._

"You are making a woman very disappointed..." Akari batted with her eyes to make someone speak. Except she still got no reaction. Their faces were turned away, because they knew the white haired woman had a good relation with their captain. _I'm not that mean! Right? I know I can slaughter people like a butcher, but that isn't my true self..._

They could be kicked out the crew, being left behind on the island with no food or whatsoever. Their lives were at stake if they opened their mouths to the woman. But little did they know, one of them briefly told her everything, while the rest was thinking about their unassured future.

"-and then he went to the captain." Before anyone of them spoke, the woman had already left their side. A young lad, who told her the situation with no fear, spoke while the rest was shivering in their horrible thoughts.

Akari already knew who he was talking about. Her excitement was at her highest, helping her to run faster. _How many years must it have been? Six?_ The trees flew past her as she ran on her bare feet on the island, searching for the man the young member just talked about.

 _Yes, on bare feet_. _The feeling of having my feet being tucked in a piece of fabric makes me go crazy_. _Well, when I had to hide my features under thick clothing while being with the Marine_. _Also then, I didn't wear any shoes because otherwise I felt like a chicken being slowly cooked above a fire place._

 _Even after leaving the Marine, the habit of not wearing shoes stayed with me. Not that anybody once asked about it_. _Everyone has something to define her or himself from each other. Some wore no shirt, I wore no shoes. Simple as that._

Akari slowly decreased her speed, trying not to break the conversation what was going on. "I have no interest in challenging..." _His voice, it's really him!_ "a one-armed man like yourself." _Still very honest._

Her thoughts kept her out of reality, causing her to walk into the scene. Everyone around Shanks and _him_ , slowly noticed her. _What is his business with Shanks?_ Her eyes jumped from the captain to the man with the big sword on his back.

"However," He talked further, but hesitated in the end. _However_ _what_? As a long silenced followed, the body language changed of the man with the white feather on his head, who stood before her.

His head went sideways, causing his eyes to meet hers. His stern and deadly glance turned into a more soft and caring gaze. He turned around, the cape around him followed him quickly, with the sun shining on his hat.

The golden eyes, eyes that were for the most people the first thing they saw of this person, shined like fire stones. Akari remembered those eyes with ease, slightly being relieved that she wasn't the only one anymore with yellow eyes on this island.

His eyes were quite unordinary, she couldn't deny that. If you just looked a bit further, then you could see a man with a great reputation. Well, that is what he fought for. Maybe he still is, but he got the title for sure.

The thing around his neck, the cross, is not just a necklace resembling a religion. _That underrated thing, is deadly! It maybe not looks dangerous... but it is! I underestimated it once..._ Her thoughts closed after he took a step in her direction.

"Chica?"

️Memory: 13 years ago

"What is a lonely fellow like you doing here?" A few men were surrounding me. Their weapons in their hand, ready to attack any moment. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. Can I travel with you guys?" I asked friendly, not knowing in what kind of situation I had found myself in. _The question of the men sounded familiar, like I heard it before. The answer I gave, was to no surprise no different than a few years ago._

 _When I left the Marine's training island I got into a difficult situation. I got off the island with a boat and a Log Pose... except my Log Pose maybe broke in little pieces... probably... for sure. Luckily, I was still able to find an island, without searching for days._

"Travel with us? Whoe-ha-ha!" One of them answered with a smugly expression on his face. "I would have said yes if you were a woman." The same one explained, his smugly smile got only worse.

 _A woman? What a pig!_ "As you can see I'm not a woman, but could you still help me out?" _If I ever see that man accepting a woman on his ship, I will kill him for sure!_ My left hand went slowly to my back, where my weapon was rapped with some rope.

"Only if you can turn into one of those woman who have such lovely bod-" _Shut your filthy mouth!_ In a swift second, my hand had grabbed the spear, pointing it against the throat of that _disgusting_ animal _._ "Drop it!" One of them shouts, his weapon almost falling from his sweating hands.

The other guys had closed me in, causing me to stand in a total disadvantaged. A smirk came upon my face, truly enjoying this moment. _It has been a while, since I slaughtered someone who didn't broke a rule of justice. Now it's more a man who broke a rule of dignity!_

"As you wish." The spear released the pressure on the man's throat, while all the eyes followed the weapon drop. _Of course, I won't let it drop on the ground_. The end of the spear, which I had in my hand moments ago, landed on my right feet, while the deadly end was pointed to the man's stomach.

With a bit of luck it bounced back into the air, making it to the perfect height. My right foot went backwards, kicking against the legs of the sweating crew member, who dropped his little sword with ease.

After the power against his legs were decreasing, I swung it forwards. Causing to push the end of the spear, with the point of my feet, to give it enough speed. The point of my easily made weapon; a long iron pipe with a sharp peak, had found itself rushed through the man's stomach.

The two men, who had closed me in, were standing on both sides of me, ran straight to me, planning to slash me with their katana's. _Idiots._ "K-kill him!" With their full speed they charged, obviously wanting to kill me. Before any of those sharp points could hit me, I stepped back, simply watching them stabbing their own nakama.

 _Such a pity sight._ "Gh-ug!" Blood spread quickly, painting the dirt under my bare feet dark red. The two lifeless bodies slowly fell to the ground, falling against each other. "Please, don't kill me!"

 _Oh, I forgot about that one._ I turned around to the nervous boy. _Not really smart. Well, he doesn't look like one who could kill someone without thinking twice about it._ I said nothing to him, almost ignoring him. With a sigh I stepped out of the pool of blood, walking away to the beach.

 _I killed enough people for today..._ "T-thank you!" He shouted at me. _I killed his nakama... what a selfish kid._ A chuckle left my mouth while I thought about my stupid thoughts. Somewhere in the sea in front of me a little boat poked out of the water, sailing to the other side of the island.

After walking for maybe thirty minutes the sound of sword blades slashing against each other made me curious. _Those men from earlier must have been with a crew and without doubt a ship._ A little ship was a few feet away, while two men fought with brute strength.

One man with an average sword and the other... _Is he Spanish? I mean no offense, it's no discrimination either... It's like his aura spreads pure Spanish-ness! Is that even a word?_

The sound of swords against each other was still going on, but the only thing what I saw from my distance was that average sword and...? _A knife? You got to be kidding me._ Within inhuman speed the Spanish man defeated the man, which is I think, the captain of those *cough* dead man. _Oh wait, one is still alive._

While the defeated man tried to move, what only caused him to mumble something about the pain, the Spanish man had put the knife away. He clicked the weapon together with a piece of necklace and walked away.

 _He won with a necklace... What if he could help me get off this island?_ "Oi! You there wait!" Hoping he would stand still, which he didn't do. "Spanish man!" "Ugh.." _He can talk!_ "Can I travel with you?" _He looks like a trustworthy man, a man of his words._

" _Noh_." _What can I say to let him help me?_ "W-wait, I want you to train me with sword fighting!" _He can teach me to fight? Well, I can fight... "_ I saw you fight, you don't need my help." _He saw me fight? Was he the one in that little boat?_ He still walked away in a steady pace, eventually I had found myself following him.

"I do need your help, you know that those tricks doesn't work on everyone." No response at first. "Then you know what you have to train." He stated bluntly. _You know what? Never mind! Ughh! Men!_ After he had walked away into the island's forest, I had found myself back by the defeated man and his ship.

"Look, I really have to go. So, I will take your ship." I kindly explained to the, what _I didn't know_ , unconscious man. "Also, don't wait up for your crew! They are ehh.. very selfish." _They also means one person, right?_ With the sails down, the wind swiftly pushed the ship into movement. _Who was that Spanish guy anyway?_

️Present

"Chica?" His voice suddenly released in a steady tone. "Mihawk." _Yep, it's still the same person._ "You know each other?" A third voice mixed with the sudden conversation. The two pair of golden eyes were still on each other, both trying to belief who stood before them.

"Never expected you to be here, not with this kind of crew." Mihawk stated. "Eh! I heard that!" the blocked away third voice said, in other words; Shanks in this case.

"You know I can survive in any circumstance," Slowly she walked closer to the man. "I saw you are still traveling alone in that creepy boat of yours. It's not like you can sit there with two people." The young woman started.

"As someone who has sailed with you, the ground isn't really comfortable!" The words flew out of her mouth, like water from a waterfall. "I know." Mihawk replied after remembering some funny moments from the past.

Even though, Mihawk didn't answer with any emotion, the white haired woman knew he was holding back a smile, maybe even a laugh. "Hello? What do I not know?" A certain red headed man roared at the pair standing before him. Almost sounding like a cat needing attention. "A lot."

 _That's the only thing he needs to know about it, right now._ With a smile Akari walked past Mihawk, heading to the captain to sit next to him. Before she left the side of 'Hawk Eyes' her eyes traveled to his eyes one last time. "We have a lot to catch up on." The white haired woman grinned, while showing her pointy teeth to the man.

The three pirates agreed to continue about the unknown relation between the mysterious woman and the Greatest Swordsman in the World _after_ the important news Mihawk had for Shanks. ", I came across some interesting pirates."

Shanks and Akari were both listening with full concentration. "And it reminded me of something you told me a long time ago." While he spoke, he took out a paper scroll. "A story about a small village,"

Slowly he opened the scroll, revealing it was a wanted poster. "and an amusing little kid..." A young boy with a big smile was printed upon it. "Hm!?" "No way-" The crew members who sat around the young woman were all were shocked, leaving her behind in confusion.

"Who is that?" Akari asked, but not too loud because she didn't know what to expect from their reaction. _Why is everyone so surprised? What do I not know about him, what makes him so important?!_

The weather suddenly changed from a grey sky to a crystal clear one, almost making a rainbow appear. With confusion the woman looked at the red haired man as he grinned with a confident smile. "So you have come, Luffy!" He declared to the sky. _Luffy?_ "Well then, Hawk-eyes."

 _Wait, what's happening?_ Mihawk gave an uncertain look to the male and the woman as he got confronted with a dead serious Shanks. Again, a smile came on his face, just as fast as it disappeared, it appeared again! _And they say women got a lot of emotions in a short time? Please..._

"I can't let you go just like that." _Well, I didn't allow him to leave either. I had to discuss a lot with Mihawk._ Suddenly the one-armed captain put a wooden drinking jar on a tree trunk and filled it with booze. "So, Hawk-eyes!" _Is he serious_? "C'mon, drink up! Drink, drink! We are gonna party today!" _He is convincing him to drink..._

"You seem to have already done so." Mihawk pointed out when he took the jar. _Oh yeah, and not a little._ "Don't mind me! This is a time to celebrate!" _Oh One Piece... He is already really drunk._ "C'mon, C'mon, C'mon, C'mon!"

 _The captain_ _sounds like a child!_ "Chug! Chug! Chug!" _No thoughts about this one..._ Eventually the captain laughed as he saw Mihawk drink it in one try. The Famous Swordsman stared at the jar, his eyes leading to the woman who he met more than ten years ago.

She saw herself staring at the man, noticing he grinned at her. _What did I do?_ Before she knew it, she had some booze in her hand and looked quickly in the filled jar. _I'm smiling?_ She saw her reflection in the alcohol within the jar.

 _I didn't know I was._ In fact, the woman was amused through the whole conversation between the captain and Mihawk. Little did she know, every day she spent with the extraordinary crew, she was loving it more and more.

"I like it! Party! Party!" Everyone was cheering to the happiness what was going around. Without knowing it herself, again, she found herself caught up in the middle of it, cheering with all the men.

"But, boss!" Someone suddenly said. "You just said you had a hangover from drinking too much!" _Well, why doesn't that surprise me?_ The woman thought, when she already poured her second drink.

"Dumbass! Don't go ruining my fun here!" _Isn't he the dumbass? I mean, he is now drinking two days straight!_ "Don't you think it's rather early?" Mihawk tried to say, hopefully to get away from the party.

 _So, he is still a wine drinker? In the evening in his chair, enjoying his expensive bottle of wine?_ "Don't worry about it!" _Of course, Shanks doesn't care if he evens begins drinking at 3am!_ So the men and the woman drank until late in the evening, enjoying every single second of it!

?Word count: 3633

Time skip between:  
 **Present**  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

 **13/11 years ago**  
Age 22 to 24  
Mihawk: Age 28 to 30


	11. Duel

**Music^** **: Anima!- Breathe**

?  
 **13 years ago**  
Age 22  
Mihawk: Age 28  
?

"Left foot." While trying to keep my breathing under control, I changed the pose of my left foot. "Right elbow." The male walked around me, correcting my fighting poses. The golden eyed pirate looked at me in deep concentration as I repositioned my right elbow, raising it higher into the air.

"Attack." He commanded, after he started walking behind me. Our eyes had met in a second, our golden eyes gazing at one another on the training ground. With my new weapon in my hands, I turned around. The blades both pointing different ways, one moving aside my body while the other was pointed to the male.

The leaves on the ground danced around us as we kept moving our feet. Our distance changed multiple times, from almost 'stabbing' him to moving away. "Too slow." He mumbled as he stood in front of me. A confused look was reflected to him, not knowing why I was too slow.

 _A few days ago, we talked about my Devil Fruit Abilities. Because I have eaten a Zoan-type Devil's Fruit, Mihawk said I had to trust on my instincts, trying to use my powers at its maximum. Except, I don't want to rely on those powers... I want to know what I do when I fight._

In a second the man disappeared out of my sight, leaving me stand alone. I turned around a few times, trying to sense his presence. Suddenly a sharp point was pressed against my neck, knowing it was his knife, feeling it going through my long hair, not cutting a single strand of hair. I wasn't allowed to use my hair as shield, trying to fight if I ever cut my hair again.

"Dead." A sigh left my mouth, realizing how stupid I was. "But I don't want to be dead!" The knife's pressure on my skin was removed, my face eventually pointed to Mihawk. "Then you had to prevent me from killing you." His face showed no emotion, even though his eyes gave a glimpse of amusement.

"Well, you didn't _kill_ me." I simple explained, still being pretty alive. "Not literally, but I could." "Yet you didn't." I quickly replied, not knowing why I responded in the first place. Suddenly a chuckle was released before me, being quite surprised it was Mihawk, who was laughing.

"Right..." He _clicked_ back his little knife, completing the necklace again. "I will be back in a few days. So, do nothing stupid." Before I could say anything, he was already walking away. "Wait! Are you going to duel that guy again?" My voice reached him, waiting to get an answer.

He turned around, our golden eyes meeting once more. Hawk Eyes nodded at my question, like every single time. _It wasn't the first time he had left to 'duel' that certain man. He doesn't want to tell who it is. I don't get off the island often, only when Mihawk allows me to join him._

 _Even if I go with him, he never goes to that man. Well, I won't ask who it is anymore. He will be fine anyways, in some kind of way._ With me being drowned in my thoughts, the man had already left. Leaving me alone on the island, but also giving me a chance to train my skills on my own. Hopefully not being _killed_ in our next training.


	12. 6 Simply Revealing

Chapter 6: Simply Revealing

️Present

The sun was shining on the men and the white haired woman, most of them were awake. A few were still sleeping, for example the sleeping beauty. Her golden eyes were isolated from the outside world, while her breathing caused her upper-body to move up and down in a steady pace.

Her skin almost looked like silk, soft and almost shining. Akari always called it scales; it doesn't feel like it but the temperature of her skin was always cold. If she stays in the sun too long, it would effect her body. Feeling numb, not quite knowing what to think or to do, the heat will almost cook her up. Of course, through the years she knows when the sun becomes to much to her.

As she disguises as Hikaru, she need to cover up her thighs and breasts. So, for unexpected moments she had bandages wrapped over her arms, from her upper arms to knuckles. She tells everyone that it's for the close combat, what is true for a little bit. In a different way of seeing it... she doesn't have to lie... _partly_.

Because of the Devil Fruit, her ability to hear had decreased enormously. Even though, she can hear really high pitches and her concentration on sound doesn't effect her like it effected her in her younger years. Her sight on the other hand changed to the highest possibility of vision; being able to see the smallest detail, even if it's almost behind her.

The only woman from the Red Haired Pirates opened her eyes, trying to observe her current situation. Normally, she remembers what she had dreamt while she slept, but even now she can't remember. _How long did I sleep?.._

Her golden eyes moved from the unclear view in front of her to her lap. Akari tried to move, feeling something covering her. To be more exact, a black cape, which belonged to the only one she knows who wears it; Shanks. She saw Mihawk wear one too yesterday, except his cape has some red structures with it.

Her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, even if the shadow of a sunshade protected her from the sun. The sweet smell of coconut caused to wake her more up, while suddenly the scent of vanilla mixed with it.

She sniffed once more in the air, while looking for the source of _these_ delicious scents. She saw a few men laying against a tree, but nobody who was eating a coconut or to make it more weird, no one ate anything.

A faint breeze met her as her long hair moved with it, the aroma of a flower had found its way to her, only making the sweet scents even more special. Coconut, vanilla and a scent she remembered from many years ago; Lily from the valley. Carefully, she removed the cloak from her body, not wanting to damage it as she cherished it with care.

To be honest, the now awake woman didn't drink a lot last night. Most of the time she enjoyed the night. Not drinking like a dried up camel, she had stopped after a few drinks. She listened to the stories of the men, also hearing the story about the funny kid: Luffy.

Eventually, also the story when Shanks saved the little kid years ago, had led to the story how the captain lost his arm. He wasn't mad at Luffy, he was just glad the kid was still alive.

That was the moment that Akari looked at the man in a whole different perspective; first thinking he was just a lazy pirate, but now she saw a whole new person. Maybe someone who she would like to be with a little longer...

"Sweetheart, you are finally awake..." The figure before her woke her out of her thoughts, thinking about the man who just talked to her. Their eyes met each other in an instant, almost the feeling of being dragged to one another. _Shanks._

Quickly she stood up, realizing how stupid it must have looked to lay on the ground. With the cape in her embrace she reached it out to give it to the captain. He wanted to take it, until in a swift second he noticed the woman standing beside him.

She held the cape up to his height, carefully trowing it over his shoulders. Akari eventually stood before him, being able straighten the cape, one side covering his ripped off arm. She kept her face concentrated on the cape, while the white haired woman felt his eyes curiously following her moves.

"Are you hungry?" He questioned the young woman, while his hand touched her white colored hair. Her eyes met his once again, both being lost in the endless feeling of each others presence. _Why can't I look away from him?_

A shy smile was showed with her teeth, while nodding to his question. Her hands were still holding onto his cape as the captain's hand had traveled to her face. He looked down on her, being able to see a beautiful view; the breathtaking woman in front of him. A view he doesn't want to loose, not anytime soon.

With not any words shared, they both walked away side to side, heading to the place where a few men were eating. Akari looked over all the men until a certain feather caused her gaze to an end.

The Greatest Swordsman in the World sat on the ground, eating bread with some water at his side. His concentration was focused, probably thinking in deep thoughts about something important. _Mihawk stayed for the night?_

The red haired man took her hand, hinting her to sit down next to him. Her eyes were taken off her old friend, eventually starting to eat the plate of food in front of her. "So, where are we going when we leave this island?"

Shanks first took a sip of drink, which was water he simply told the woman next to him. Of course, she _totally_ believed him!.. "There is a town not so far from here. We need some supplies, food..." "-and sake." She quickly added. "Yeah, also that." He responded chuckling.

After they had eaten, the captain had to prepare some stuff before the whole crew could get on the ship. First, Akari wanted to help but got told that she can have some free time. While gladly accepting the free time, the young woman walked away to a random direction on the island.

️

As the wind blew over the island, the woman had found herself on a path in the little forest. Shoe prints on the current path, which were present in the dirt, didn't seem that old. Akari had found them minutes ago, now already following it with curiosity. _Maybe a crew member is wandering around._

 _I didn't see Mihawk anymore, maybe he left..._ Her bare feet went through the tall grass as her skin slightly touched the leaves of the little plants. Somewhere beside her leaves started to rustle.

The woman scanned over the area to see any living creatures. She only spotted a bird flying away, but not noticing the male watching her. _He is here... somewhere._

His hat covered his shining eyes and with his sword on his back, Yoru, he stood in the shadows under the trees. As the white haired human walked past a few trees close to the hidden man, she decided to stand still. _Somewhere close..._

The sun covered her whole body, while her back pointed to him. "It's nice to know, you have survived through the years..." Her voice began with her head cocked to one side, eyeing him from the little distance.

"I wanted to say the same thing to you." Mihawk responded in a calm voice, eventually stepping out of the shadows. "I assume you didn't tell them yet." Akari's heart stopped for a moment, not expecting his sudden statement. "Not yet..."

With their eyes holding each other in sight, both of them knew their conversation wasn't really save to discuss in the forest. Eventually, Hawk Eyes took the lead and walked away to a more private place, so they could discuss things without interruptions... or catching someone overhear their secret.

"Tell me. What did I miss?" _A smile..._ Yes, Mihawk smiled. It was not uncommon sight for the woman. Having her around for two years in the past, he opened himself to her. Not as lovers, no!

Their bond was different, both of them never thought it in that kind of way. It was like two business people, but knowing each other from their childhood. Something like that. Except they know each other from their young adulthood.

"So, after Doflamingo... eghh- Do you remember my story about Crocodile, who I was searching for, that he wanted to become the Pirate King?" The swordsman didn't answer as he looked at the sun shining upon the sea.

The only place, which looked like a trustable place to talk, was eventually on the other side of the island. Nothing more than some birds could hear them, hoping not some crew members were getting suspicious. They were both gone, walking somewhere on the island.

"Yes, vaguely." His eyes were in the shadows of his hat, the feather moving with the wind. "Oh right, you guys know each other because of the whole War Lord _thingy._ I never was interested in that part of society. Especially not when I was with Dof- nevermind." She mentioned his name twice today, nothing compared about how many times she thought about him.

He simply nodded, understanding that the subject about that man was quite a burden for the woman next to him. "Well, I worked for him, of course as Hikaru. After that, I had met Smoker, the guy from the Marine, he had let me go." _He prevented my life in prison._

"Everything after that... I remember somethings, like a village or city..." Her voice slowly drifted away, carefully thinking about the forgotten time in her life. _I don't remember everything after that, just when I woke up on the Red Hair Pirates' ship._

"Did I miss something in your _interesting_ life?" Maybe she said it sarcastically and wanted to switch from subject, but it was not to offend him. Because of her past switching to the Marine and back once more to a pirate, made her realize how twisted the world works.

Ruled by crazy people, obeyed by people who only see the good side of it. Not that she wants everybody to see the bad side too! Just, their way of thinking is too simple.

"Just the kid Luffy with his crew..." His voice drifted off, probably thinking about his confrontation with Luffy. "Is that Luffy kid on your mind?" She asked curiously. He shook his head slightly. "A-a woman?!" His eyes shot a glare at her, but it faded away before he chuckled.

"His name is Roronoa Zoro, he-" "A man! Oh sorry Mihawk, I never knew you-" Before she could finish her sentence, even if she interrupted the man herself, he talked a bit louder. " _He_ will become a great swordsman." Akari did not respond, knowing she shouldn't push the subject. He probably thought very highly of the just mentioned name, like he expected something great from him.

"I think this belongs to you." The woman saw one of his hands extended to hers, holding something in his grasp. She held her hands in front of her as a bowl, not knowing what could belong to her. The sound of a little chain rang in the ears of the two pirates, both looking at the object in the hands of the white haired woman.

A necklace with a pendant in a shape of a heart, it looked old as the metallic color showed some tracks of rust. "H-how did you get it?" With a lot of care the woman touched it with her fingertips, slowly turning it around in the palm of one of her hands. _It can't be... This is the necklace of... dad. The last time I saw it, was when mom wore it... the night she disappeared._

While her eyes were all over the pendant, she carefully opened it. Mihawk told her he had found it on his boat, just laying on the wooden planks. As she opened the pendant, a picture was shown.

Due all the adventures the necklace must have been through, the black and white photo was almost completely faded away. The only thing what the young woman could see was a young but happy child in the arms of its mother, in other words Akari herself.

"I now own you even more than just my life..." She mumbled as her eyes were cherishing the little trinket. The man next to her said nothing, simply being satisfied as he saw Akari smile. _Impossible..._

Yes, she maybe owns him her life... but that didn't mean she really had to pay him back. As long she could live happily, she would have paid more than enough. Well, in his eyes it would be more than enough.

"How did you end up with Shanks and his crew? Did you guys met each other before or something?" They started to look each other in the eyes, both being relieved that their old friend survived on the untrustworthy sea.

Well, Akari mostly had spend it on land but that didn't mean it was safe. "Well, before I tell you... I don't even know _how_ I ended up with them. I... was saved by them, actually." While she explained the confused reason behind her presence with the current crew, Akari had put the necklace on her neck.

He didn't believe it. How could that be possible? Well, he knows she can look after herself, he also knows she can find danger faster than danger itself. Like she knows where danger will appear, not that she prevents getting caught within it. "So, the story about you in the barrel is true?"

 _Who told him?_ "Who told you that?" Again, he released a chuckle, like he missed his own chuckle. "Doesn't matter who told me that... It still sounds very funny!" _Funny?!_ "Ey! It won't be funny anymore if I find out who did it to me!" _If I find that person... doesn't matter who! I will kill him or her!_

 _But... if I'm weaker than that person, then I will just ask why he or she did that. Good idea._ "It is also possible you got yourself in the barrel for a reason." The woman stayed quiet, again, now really thinking about his opinion.

"Well, I have to go." Mihawk suddenly announced as he stood up and started to leave. "Wait! Where are you going?" Akari stumbled after the man, trying to reach him. "I have things to do. Tell Shanks I left, please." "Sure..." Her hand took one of his while the other held the pendant protected, eventually making him to turn to her.

"Only, if you promise that we meet again." Her voice was quiet, but he could hear it loud and clear as their golden eyes were staring at each other. With a simple nod he left, leaving the woman alone in the forest. She wanted to chase him, travel with him again... like she once did.

️Memory: 13 years ago

"So, the Log Pose say I have to go left... but... I already went left tree times in two minute!" _I'm seriously starting to hate the sea! Well, at least I took the Log Pose from that man... he didn't say no._

With my eyes on the Log Pose, I saw a little dot in the corners of my eyes. A cross shaped ship... _That reminds me of that Spanish guy with his cross shaped sword on his back. Oh, and his necklace also looked like one... wait._

With the sails down, the wind pushed the ship to the little boat in the distance. How closer the distance became, how more sure I was it was that man. The ship eventually sailed next to the little boat, being able to look down on the man. The hat covered his face while he was sitting in a relaxed pose, it almost looked like sleeping in the sun. _Is he sleeping?_

"Oi, Spanish man! Enjoying the sun?" My voice was a bit louder than expected, at least I now will find out if he is asleep or not. "Not anymore." _Does he also have problems with the Log Pose?_ "Oh, well... Look, I'm not really good with the Log Pose."

He didn't respond or even moved a muscle. "So, what if we team up, huh?" _What am I saying?_ "You can enjoy the sun and I don't have to worry about getting lost... Sounds good, right?" _I said too much, didn't I?_

"I got better things to do." He sternly stated, without moving an inch. Suddenly the boat moves away. "W-wait!" _Where does he think he is going?_ While pulling the ropes of the sails, I realized I was doing stupid.

"You know what?! Nevermind!" My voice hopefully reached his ears, if he was still awake... or a human being. My hands left the railing of the ship and I walked away.

 _I didn't realize it, but his eyes were focused on me, all the time. His eyes followed me while walking away, releasing a sigh of relief, before hiding his eyes under his hat. Not having to worry about the lonely person, in other words; me._

He looked forwards once more, now enjoying the sun, which he didn't do since a long time. His mind was usually on all the problems he had to fix. The Marine calls him from time to time, to ask him for a favor. Most of the time he did, but not if he was enjoying his wine in the evening or morning... just not while drinking wine.

"Oh, One Piece!" I mumbled to myself. _Come on Akari! You are acting like a chicken. I fight like a tiger and you... get yourself together!_ My two personalities were in each others way. Now, me as Hikaru, disguise as a male, has to be tough. Except, Akari can sometimes be... little childish. I know I am talking to myself, in two different persons! Let me be! _Wait... I have a third personality? Talking to who? Ughh..._

I breathed in, starting to use one of my Devil Fruit Powers. "Toka Toka no..." The air left my lungs, while I focused my sight on the little boat. "Swift Jump!" _Haven't used that one in a while..._ My feet started to move to the railing, my distance decreasing between me and the man.

The sea lays moments later under me, the ship behind me with the little boat in front of me. _Why was I jumping again?!_ While I got closer to the boat, my distance to the sea also came closer. _No... no... no!_

My left foot scratches upon the surface of the water, knowing it was too late... A hit against the back of the boat caused the man to jump up. There was nothing to see, except for the water drops, which fell on his cape.

He looked back and fort from the ship, to the random moving water. "Idiot..." The male mumbled as he stood up and almost ran to the back of his little boat, looking down into the water, trying to find something or _someone_.

"Dammit." He suddenly exclaimed, while taking off the sword, the cape and the hat. He turned around to put away his just removed clothes with the sword and ready to put out his shoes, until; "Sorry," He took a step backwards, almost falling into the water.

 _I didn't want to scare him... His emotions were blank, not knowing what to do than stare at me_. "still a bit clumsy with my powers. Don't know them really well." I explained further, while climbing down from a certain height. _Luckily, I didn't fall into the water._

 _The boat was just in reach to step on the railing. Because of the jump, I couldn't land on the edge, so I had to jump once more to regain my balance. On the mast of the boat, I was able to stand without falling from it._

 _I saw the man jump up, so I decided to watch him from above before I let him notice I was on his boat all along. Except, I didn't actually think he would save me, if I fell into my greatest enemy; the sea._

"What are you doing here?" The man questioned and took his hat, with the big white feather, and his cape to complete his outfit once again.

"Wait, you ate a Devil Fruit?" He asked with surprise, slightly showing his worried pair of eyes. _His eyes..._ I shook my head, not because of disagreeing but because of the whole _emotionless_ act he tried to hold up. _He got eyes like me!_

A chuckle left my mouth, realizing the whole situation. "Yes, I did. _Sadly_..." The last past of my sentence was nothing more than a whisper to the sky. Eventually, I was on the ground, looking up to the man who was now looked down on me.

Without both of us saying anything, I climbed on the what higher wooden part of the boat, which was behind the uncomfortable looking chair. _I didn't do it for fun... no._ I climbed on it to sit against the mast. "So... where are we going?" I asked the man, who I did not know at all.

️

"Where is your weapon?" _Oh yeah, when I went on the boat with Spanish guy, whose name is Mihawk by the way, he eventually accepted my offer. Well, he changed the offer to a more deal like state... he would train me, if I accompany him on his little journeys._

"Eghh... my weapon?" I looked at him like I didn't understand his words. He nodded simply. _Not quite a talker, huh?_ "Still in that man's stomach..." The words were mumbled out of my mouth. A sigh was caused by the man, almost feeling his aura of disappointment.

 _After I accepted his acceptance about my offer... wait... He didn't accept my offer, at all. I accepted his... I'm really an idiot! Anyway, we arrived on an island with an old looking mansion, but the inside is quite new. I got my own room, quite modern, maybe a bit too much for me. At least I don't have to pay rent._

"Before you pick your weapon," He began, with his eyes piercing through mine. "just quit the whole act. It ticks me off." The man showed an irritated expression, but it almost looked like he wanted to hide something. "To quit what?" My eyes wandered off to the ground, still feeling his eyes on me. _H-how does he know?_

"Do you want me to rip those bandages off, to explain it to you?" _R-rip it off?!_ "N-no thanks!" One Piece's sake, no _!_ "I already thought so." _How did he-wait no.. maybe- Even if he just said a few words... it scared me!_

"Choose." Before me there were all kinds of swords; Two katana's, one short and the other long; a tanto, kind of a knife; and there was a stick... _A spear without a sharp point on it?_ My hand grabbed the stick. _Wow, it's heavy!_ With my eyes on the little details, my hands traveled over the patterns.

It had a grayish shining layer with all kinds of figures carved into the weapon. "Didn't expect you would choose this one." He admitted, while he slowly took the weapon from my loose grip. With my golden eyes, I observed him. _What is he doing?_

With a _click_ the stick departed into two pieces. _Two sticks in one?_ In a swift second two blades appeared from within, making the man hold two thin swords. _Wait... I saw a weapon like that, when I was with the Dancing Pirates._

"You are better in close combat, so it's better if you hold one in each hand. Except, I saw you fight with a spear..." He flipped the swords in his hands, clicking the ends of the two weapons against each other. "Don't let go of the weapon, if you do... then you have already lost." I nodded in agreement. _So he does talk._

He threw it in my direction but let it spin a bit, causing the sharp points to flip. "Ey!" He laughed slightly, being quite amused by his action. With my right hand, where my claws were showing, I slashed the double-bladed sword away.

My sharp nails were able to change its direction. Instead of throwing it to the ground, I made it go pierce through a tree. A growl escaped my mouth, while a smirk appeared on my lips. _I don't know why but I got a feeling, we will get along..._

? _Word Count_ _: 4183_

 **Please watch this video on Youtube: Wattpad Story Skin Shedding Chapter 6**

Time skip between:  
 **Present**  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

 **13/11 years ago**  
Age 22 to 24  
Mihawk: Age 28 to 30


	13. Mirror

**Music^** **: Mansionair- Easier (Cloak & Dagger Soundtrack)**

?  
 **12 years ago**  
Age 23  
Mihawk: Age 29  
?

As I walked from my bedroom to go to the bathroom, I saw a certain male trying to shave his beard in the mirror. His golden eyes were reflecting the light, which was indirect pointed into his eyes by the mirror. He seemed concentrated, but slightly irritated.

He was wearing his white blouse, just as his black pants and black boots. _Doesn't he have some night clothing? Not that I can imagine him in a pajama... but he has more outfits, right?_

"What are you doing?" I asked as a gawn escaped my mouth, while stretching my arms to wake up a bit, adjusting my sight to the bright light. I tried to held one eye closed to prevent a headache of the burning light. The lamp lit up every corner of the bathroom, killing every piece of shadow.

His eyes were still on the knife, which he tried to cut his beard with, not wanting to make a wrong move. The knife was a part of a necklace, which he always wears around his neck. Not did he only use it to shave his beard, but sometimes even to eat his food. _I just hope he cleans it after stabbing a person to death..._

After he drew an 'almost' straight line along his cheek, Hawk Eyes put down his knife and started to look straight at me. Slightly gazing at my pajamas, noticing my top was maybe too loose. As fast as he could he looked away, his eyes on the knife, mumbling something under his breath. "What are you doing here?" He asked back, still not looking me in the eyes.

His fingers were around the little knife, putting a lot of pressure around it once he tightened his grip. Mihawk didn't expected me to wake up in the middle of the night, maybe because I never show myself once I wake up. Thinking I would simply sleep the whole night.

"Well, I just wanted to go to the toilet... but I see you are busy... need any help?" Without waiting for an answer I walked up to him, taking away the knife of his hands. _It wasn't the first time I had helped someone with shaving. Crocodile was terrible at it in the beginning, but through time he eventually could do it himself. Sometimes I still helped him, though._

"Let me do it." He still looked away, not quite accepting he was just terrible at shaving. Slowly at every stroke I took, his eyes went to mine, looking at me through the mirror. _Maybe he has to grow a mustache, not much but just enough to complete his badass look. Now he looks quite young, even if he is already at the end of his mid-twenties_.

I gave a little smile in return, knowing he was looking at me through the mirror while my eyes were focused on shaving his beard. "You can just say thank you... you know." Teasing him a bit, after noticing he haven't spoken for a few minutes.

 _He learned me to fight, yes... but we don't know much about one another. Not that we both want to know each others' past in details, except it feels like looking at a stranger. Someone you only talk to if you want something from them._

As the last stroke was taken, I took a step back, eyeing the masterwork. "Done." Before I could do anything else, he already disappeared. Leaving me alone in the bathroom at 3am in the morning.

Even if my eyes were now completely used to the bright light, I was still very tired. _Yesterday we were back from a mission... we were sailing for two weeks! My butt hurts from all the sitting on the wooden floor! I'm going to buy a chair..._

The next day, with my full surprise, there was a note. A note next to a plate, which was decorated with all kinds of food. Sandwiches with some eggs and a glass of milk. Except, the note was even better than the food. A simple note with the words; Thank you. _He is kinder than I had thought._


	14. 7 Compared Events

**Music^:** **Ta-Ku- Down For You**

Chapter 7: Compared Events  
️Memory: 11 years ago

He looked down on me, while enjoying my company. "You are my pretty bird... Fufufufufu..." _The man was tall, he could play as a tree._ The moment he had laid his eyes on me, I knew I was in trouble.

His creepy smile, his devilish laugh... Not that I had met him because I wanted to. _I didn't expect my journey to end so quickly, it must have been two weeks at least... when I saw Mihawk for the last time._

 _Just a few hours ago I was walking through Dressrosa, trying to eat something, which I didn't do since two days. Then out of nowhere I got raised into the air, my feet from the ground as I look straight at a pair of sunglasses._

 _"Fufufu... Who is this?" He had grabbed my by my jacket, making it unable to get away. "Can you let go of me?" The smile of him showed excitement ... almost like a child that has come across a new toy._

 _"Now?!" He sighed, looking at me from my head to toes. He didn't reply, he just stared at me and sometimes shared a look with one of the men beside him. "Fine..." I mumbled, making him stare at me with curiosity. I breathed in. "Toka toka no..." His grip on my jacket got tighter, like he knew nothing good was going to happen._

 _My eyes searched to the sunglasses of the man, almost looking straight through the shaded glasses. A smirk came upon my face, causing it to remove it from the man before me. "Poisoned Bite!"_

 _My eyes started to glow as my hair stung against his hand and the teeth in my mouth started to grow. My head cocked to the side of his arm, attacking it with full speed._

 _For a slight second I thought I was able to bite him, until my body froze in mid-action. My teeth touched his skin at its surface, while my eyes traveled back at the man. His smile was still gone._

 _He didn't look amused at all, like he didn't expect me to go against him. My body suddenly moved on its own, being controlled by an unknown source. My eyes trying to find the problem of the 'not moving body of mine'._

 _Slowly my body retreated from it's hybrid form, eventually being myself again. As I was held like a kitten by its mother, he put me back on the ground. When I wanted to move again, I still stood on the same place. He was hovering over me as his left hand moved, causing me to walk up to him. "Can you let go of me, again?" He is controlling me._

 _"So, now you have done your tricks. Follow me or I_ will _drag you with me." He simply stated. The pressure on my muscles left me as he turned around, completely ignoring me. I'm not an object!_

 _Who does he think he is? When he was walking away I noticed a whole crew was walking with him, more like a wall of protection. He doesn't look like someone who needs protection._

 _The creepy tall male with his men, where also a few woman were, walked away into the distance. They are expecting me to follow him, right? Well, I'm not going to. On full speed I turned around, running away from those pirates._

 _I guessed they were pirates, though. I tried to find a high building, being able to look upon all the people in the Kingdom. I thought I got away until I realized I tried to run from the King himself; Donquixote Doflamingo, the one who is pulling the strings._

"You can not outrun me. Fufufufu..." His own voice woke me up out of my thoughts. "Yeah, I discovered that." I replied in a sharp whisper as he returned sitting straight on his chair. I _don't know how, but I got caught._

 _Like a bird in a cage. No surprise he calls me with that nickname, it fits perfectly with the situation._ "Who is she?" A girly voice asked, while interrupting my deadly stare at the man next to me.

A girl with black hair and a red ribbon sat on the other side of the table. Apparently everyone of the Donquixote Pirates were sitting with us, enjoying their meal until the little girl asked a question about me.

" _She_ is going to stay with us." _What?_ "So she is joining our family?" The girl stated with a confused expression. My golden eyes went from Doflamingo to the girl and back to him. "Of course, unless the lady wants to leave..." All of them stared at me with their curious faces, waiting for me to answer.

Not that everybody looked _happy_ , but some even looked with a bit fear. _If I disagree... I got a feeling I will get killed or worse... my fate will be chosen unwillingly. Well, it already kind of is, but now I have a choice to choose my future._

My eyes went back to the black haired girl, who was waiting for my reply. "I guess," The man next to me stopped eating, like he was ready to kill me any moment when the words of disagreeing leaves my mouth. "I can't say no to such offer." My sharp teeth were showing as a forced smile came on my face.

The sound of cutlery dashing on a plate made me stiff up. I slowly turned my face back to the _King_ of the island. He was busy cleaning his mouth with a napkin, making it unable to tell what his emotion could be. Suddenly he grinned, what made it into an unstoppable laugh.

"Young Lord?" The little girl asked, almost sounding concerned. Doflamingo stood up, shoving the chair away with full speed, almost making it crack against the wall behind him. He put one of his hands into his pink feathered coat, trying to grab something. He revealed black and white clothing, throwing it over to me. "Fufufufu!"

It was thrown over my head, making me look really stupid. While taking it off my head, my thoughts tried to figure out the clothing. _Do I have to dress like a waitress?_ The short dress revealed before my eyes. _A-A mistress?!_ I carefully held it against my body for the full picture. "It's a maid dress and _you_ , young lady, are going to wear it."

 _At that moment I could never have guessed how I would survive on that island, especially with_ that _man. It may have been a start of something beautiful, but it will remembered by me... as a bad memory. The end, nevertheless, being terrible. Before everything was so unbearable, it was perfect... that's the only thing I will admit about the past I had with Doflamingo._

️Present

"So, Hawk Eyes had left, huh?" Shanks questioned the white haired woman. "Yeah, he told me he had some business to attend to." The crew was back on the ship, ready to sail to the island Shanks had chosen to get supplies from. _He sadly left..._

"He is a busy man..." She mumbled, not knowing he heard her last words. She didn't meant it in that kind of way, but the one-armed man felt his skin tingling of... a feeling he wanted to avoid the most.

"So, you guys never told me how you met." The pair stood at the front deck of the ship, looking far away into the never-ending sea. The two pirates were most of the time together, the rest of the crew also noticing that with ease.

"We met by accident and the second time I just jumped on his boat to travel with him." She explained bluntly, not noticing his gaze on her with detailed awareness. 'Did something happen between the women and Mihawk?' The red headed thought countless of times.

His eyes went to a beautiful object, which was around the woman's neck. A necklace in the shape of a heart, even if it looked old and fragile, it was perfect for the woman in front of him. He never have seen her wear it before... 'Could she have it from Mihawk? Did the object behold a memory of the two old friends?'

"Have you heard the news about Crocodile?" He was still looking at her, seeing her hair move with the wind. As he stared at her lips, her head slowly turned his way before his gaze went back to the golden pair of eyes. Her eyes reflecting his own eyes, almost drowning in the gaze of female, who he had met a month ago.

She, also, had her thoughts into his eyes... "What did you say?" _Slowly her mind was back, noticing he told her something._ "Never mind... it isn't really important." Shanks grinned with some humor in his voice, but it disappeared after a few seconds. _What did he say?.._

"Before you ended up here... how did you live?" The guiltiness was fully present in his way of talking. "I hope free, careless and invisible..." Their eyes were still on each other, both not knowing what the other thought. Except their minds were blank, both just staring at one another.

A slight blush colored the cheeks of the woman, who stood very close to the man. _Am I really falling for this man? We don't even know each other that well, right? Maybe we just have a lot of things in common_.

The thing was, he unlocked a few of her deep hidden personalities... _but it doesn't mean he is the one I was searching for, right? Then why was I blushing? Then why can't I act selfish in front of him? Then why... do I ask myself such unimportant questions?_

"Sweetheart?" She had lost herself in the eyes of the red haired man before her, again. "Yes, I lo-! Kn-ooow I was _lost_ in my thoughts... egh- I mean- I have to go." Before the man could replay the whole sentence in his head, she was already walking away in a steady pace. S- _stupid heart!_

"Where are you going?" The captain questioned her, but Akari was already too far away. Her face was as red as a tomato, unable to control her heartbeat. Her heart almost spoke... until her mind could prevent the _so_ questioned feeling about him.

She walked aimless on the ship, causing to get confused looks from a few crew members. She had to get somewhere without getting interrupted, by anyone. Her bedroom. Nobody saw anyone run so fast on a lazy day as her, but luckily for the woman; within a blink the door was in sight.

Her hand went to the doorknob until a certain man, who she wanted to avoid the most, stepped before her. "Ey sweetie, I was looking for y-" Akari grasped air, wanting to turn around again. Suddenly he grabbed her wrist, causing her to be pulled into his embrace.

Their faces were just inches from each other, her nervous expression across his compassionated look. "Why are you running away for me?" The white haired woman carefully breathed out, trying to find her words.

"I'm not running away from _you_..." His grip around her wrist slowly loosed, "it's the feeling what makes me want to run from you." The captain had put her stuck between the bedroom door and his body.

"What feeling?" His hand traveled up, teasing her skin to grave his touch, ending up by her chin before he slightly touched the new necklace around the young woman's neck. "The feeling of wanting to be with the person, who you are thinking about all the time."

"Then what holds you back?" He steps closer, now slightly pressing her against the door. "Every feeling and thought what goes through my mind... reminds me of my past..." Shanks lifted her chin, while he hovered over her.

Their lips were only one action away from each other. "I want to stop that feeling." The words were dripping out of her mouth, like poison slowly being sucked away. "You want to _stop_ feeling anything at all?" She nodded, slightly touching her nose with his. "You want to _stop_ caring for anyone?"

Again, she nodded, now really wanting to get away. "You want to _stop_ ," His hand on her chin was already in her neck, stroking it with his thumb. "living your life?" She didn't move at all, trying to realize how one-sided she thought. "I sadly have to tell you something."

Hesitation was reflected in his eyes. "You maybe won't like it," His breath was fully combined with her. "but" Akari's body started to get greedy, while her mind wanted to hear his words.

"you can't outrun me." He whispered, while stealing a kiss from the beautiful woman caught in his grasp. The tension of lust filled the two pirates, both already thinking about the second kiss.

"Captain are you here?" A distanced voice called. The woman tried to pull away, but it only made the man against her, push her more to the wall. "Mhm-!" With her teeth she carefully pinched his tongue as it surpassed her lips.

She quickly kissed him with passion as her hands were placed on his jaw, before she pushed him backwards. A confused look was given to her, but she didn't respond at it as the first mate of Shanks walked into the hallway. She took her chance and swiftly walked away.

"Here you are Shanks, what did you-" "Akari, wait!" The red haired man totally ignored the other man, his mind only focused on _her_. He went on deck, wanting to see the woman who he had kissed moments ago. "Sweetheart?.."

He tried to call her again, but no response. Suddenly something moved above him. Akari was climbing on the ratlines at full speed. Eventually seeing her jump in the crow's nest, while her long hair followed with her movements. She was hiding herself, hiding for her feelings.

️Memory: 10 years ago

 _He follows me, literally everywhere. Doesn't matter where I am. I can see him walk around the corner, see his feather jacket follow his lead. If I say he has to leave, that I want my time alone... I only make it worse, so after all the weeks; I had let him do his following-fetish._

 _It's not that he doesn't trust me, because I am still in the Donquixote Family, alive and well. I eventually accepted his presence. Every time I catch him gazing on me, a cheesy smile comes on his mouth. Not the smile he usually gives, but with more kindness._

 _I can't see his eyes, nobody knows how his eyes look like. Even if I'm curious about his hidden pair of eyes, I can always notice his expressions. Like, once he was sitting relaxed on his couch, his legs spread. Nobody knew if he was asleep or just watching everyone, watching us by every move we took._

 _Sadly, I was the one who had to check on him. Like, why me?! I carefully sat on the couch, slightly hovering over his body, trying to sense a sleeping man. His chest rose and fell at a steady pace... 'he kind of looked cute'. Except I noticed a little movement in his face, almost as he faked sleeping. The moment I wanted to turn away, I saw the corner of his lips slowly lifting._

 _Of course, it returned to emotionless very fast, but I knew that moment he wasn't asleep at all. I silencily sighed, hinting him I didn't fall for his trick. The feeling of being under pressure had left me when I was almost off the couch, but then an arm had snaked itself around my waist._

 _My whole body was dragged backwards as I was place next to the Young Lord, his arm holding me tight. "Fufufufufu..." My eyes were still pointed in front of me, staring at the thirteen year old Baby 5, who was grinning at the funny moment. "My pretty bird got caught..." His voice made me feel shiver through my spine._

 _I looked beside me, being able to look straight at the sunglasses of the man. His smile contained pure evilness, he must think about everything as a joke._

 _Weird enough, after that moment, he started to change. Every day his smile was different than the day before, his way of talking to me, his way of acting around me._

"Akari, answer me when I command something to you." His own voice broke my connection with my thoughts. "Forgive me." "Forgive me, what?" "Forgive me for my unacceptable behavior, _Young Lord_." I had found myself somewhere in the hallways. Of course, he had followed me.

"I shall forgive you," The man with the pink feather jacket stated behind me. In a swift I had turned around, believing he was joking around. "My pretty bird..." His hand was stroking my cheek, a soft smile was on his face. "So, follow me." He said under his breath.

 _Follow him?_ "Come on, I don't have the time of the world! I have it almost but not yet." His mumbling made me grin a bit, now knowing for sure he had changed himself in front of me after a year. "Where are we going?" Every step he took I had to take at least four to match his walking pace.

"I have a meeting to attend to." He kindly explained. _Kindly?_ "Why didn't you bring one of the others with you?" I tried to walk next to him, but by every corner I was already ten feet behind him. I ran to Doffy, the distance caused our conversation to be quite... uneasy.

"Because..." _wait up, you idiot_! "Iwant you beside me." My body met with a fluffy wall, his coat in other words. _M-me?_ "Maybe I have other things to do..?" My statement became more a question, after he turned around with _that_ cheesy smile of his. "No, because if I want all the time of the world. I have to start with taking time from others. Also you, my pret-"

"I'm not letting you _take_ my time!" Doffy wanted to continue walking but had stopped as he noticed me still standing on the same spot. "You know it's not wise to go against me, huh?" His voice had darkened, but that didn't change my thoughts. "I w-wanted to say, I will _give_ you my time."

" _Give_? What kind of you." He concluded with an untrusted aura around him. "Well, I can't promise anything before I know it for sure..." He suddenly mumbled. _Know what exactly? Wait, a promise?_ He found his way back to standing in front of me.

My golden eyes reflected itself in the sunglasses of the Donquixote, my long white hair was almost touching the ground, being a coat of my own. He hovered over me, being able to look at me from a quite weird perspective. "When the time is right, I can give you my _time_ too." _His time? Did he mean..._ Without any words shared we ended up walking side by side as he decreased his walking pace to match mine.

️Present

 _It have been a month. A month since Akari was found in the sea, unconscious laying in a barrel. How she got here is still a question for the woman. Why she is here will maybe never be answered. At least she knows who she is or was... The funny thing is, she wants to remember the forgotten and forget what she remembers._

 _The only thing what she wants to hold of her past is her parents, the love they gave to her, the feeling of being save, being able to breathe without thinking about any danger. Every night they would say goodnight, every morning there would be breakfast. Running on the island, dancing with the moving leaves who were flying with the wind. Well, that was a long time ago._

 _The memories are mostly vague, not being able to see the whole event. Just little fragments of being happy or sad, hungry or demanding. Some little feelings, the warm hugs her mom gave her, the feeling of being lift in the air by dad._

 _The million kisses planted on her face, the happy moments with the three of them. Until the hard truth of what kind of world she was living in was revealed with death and abduction._

It was already dark outside, the stars were showing itself without any cloud disturbing the beautiful view. The woman fell asleep in the crow's nest, waking up by the coldness around her. Waves were hitting against the ship, pulling her out of her sleepy state.

Her back was hurting from the uncomfortable sitting position as she tried to climb down. While the wind blew past the ropes, her grip tightened, thinking about the accident she had when she was sixteen. _Crocodile_...

If she was thrown overboard by a storm, her body would sink like an anchor. Shivers went through her spine, not wanting to look down. She hoped she was already by the ground, but the feeling of endless climbing, was scarred in her bones. She could jump from high places, run like a speedster, but when she is on the ratlines; her fear shows itself from the shadows.

 _Then why did I climb to the crow's nest in the first place? Why was I so stupid to do that, knowing I had to climb down eventually?_ Her thoughts made her doubt her own action, missing a step on the way down.

Her second step also missed, allowing her to slide on the ratlines, her hands burning from the ropes slicing against her skin. Her body was falling down, expecting to hit the ground any moment.

Suddenly firm grip snaked around her waist, preventing her to hit the ground. Heavy breathing was in her neck, her back consuming the warmth of the person behind her. "I got you..." She remembered again why she climbed to the crow's nest. It was because she wanted to run away from the man behind her.

She recognized him by the smell of his cape: _Coconut_ , _vanilla_ and _Lily from the valley_. She had found it out after a few days, when the captain started to sit next to her by every meal.

Since he started to do that, the smell started to notice her. ' _You want to stop,'_ She thought, looking back at few hours ago. The man released his tight grip around her, carefully turning her around. ' _living your life?'_

Their eyes had found each other, what now must have been the hundredth time. "I'm sorry..." The voice of the woman softly admitted, the cape of the man covering her shoulders.

Shanks lifted up her chin, craving for another kiss with the woman in front of him. "Don't be." He mumbled with his lips against hers, pressing her against his body once more. The cape covered the whole back of the woman, eventually sharing their body heat.

Her hands traveled up to his red hair, having lust control her actions. Both of them trying to get the lead of battle in their kiss. No one gave up, but as his hand slowly lowered, Akari grasped for air.

Their breathing was fast and unsteady, sweat being mixed in their clothing. His hand went to her hands, taking one of them out of his hair, while the other stayed in his neck. He slowly pulled her with him, leading her away from the open place on the ship.

She followed him without thinking twice, loving the feeling of being dragged away. The white haired woman was standing on her toes, to be on his height. Every step he took backwards, the craving woman would take no time to meet him again. It almost looked like dancing, the man showing the woman the way, not with pulling but slowly hinting her to take the second step.

Eventually they were almost at the bedroom, first not noticing a few men who _accidentally_ were in the hallway. They quickly walked away, probably because their captain gave them a deadly glare.

A chuckle was released by the white haired woman as she kissed him once more, pulling Shanks with her. Nobody saw them as they disappeared behind the bedroom door.

?Word Count: 4073

Time skips between:  
 **Present**  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

|  
 **11/6 years ago**  
Age 24 to 29  
Doflamingo: Age 28 to 32


	15. Home

**Music^** **: Susie Suh x Robot Koch- Here with you**

?  
 **24 years ago**  
Age 11  
?

 _I saw my mother crying in the doorway, leaning against the door while tears rolled down her face. One of her hands were on the door, keeping herself from the ground. While the other covered her mouth. For a second there was no sound, no emotion... just silence._

 _Softly I could hear her mumble the same words over and over again. 'Why... How... I'm sorry' Speaking in her own thoughts, almost drowning in the repeated words. Not speaking to me because she didn't know that I was there, nor speaking to the man in our doorway. Time stood still, only hearing the sobs of the devastated woman._

 _I never have seen her cry, just smiling no matter what kind of situation. This was confusing, unexpected but most of all heartbreaking. She always did what she had to do after dad had left us behind. He didn't leave us behind on purpose... except we already knew there was a chance he would never return again._

 _The words the man spoke in front of our door, finally broke her. 'This was the only thing we could save from him..." One of his hands reached to her, taking the hand, which covered her emotions on her face. Her knees were trembling, realizing all of this was real._

 _His words were slow and meaningless, like he didn't believe it as well. A necklace, a very familiar necklace was given to my mom. The chain ringed in my ears, remembering the moment when we gave it to dad._

 _Not that it was accepted with greatness, even if she simple nodded at him and eventuelly closed the door. Air was stuck in my throat, wanting to run to mom, wanting to hug her... Before I could walk to her, something made me froze. Like my body wouldn't listen, unable to move because of the sudden wave of emotions._

 _The very moment of the door closing, revealed her inner feelings... 'Bring him back home, bring him back to us.' Her back against the door, slowly her knees touching the ground as her unsteady breathes were taken. Her love of her life was taken away from her, her hope... was vanished into thin air._

 _Eventually, I never told her I have seen her cry. Not that she ever told me that the man at the door was a crew member from dad, properly knowing about his death in details. Well, mom and I lived alone in the house of more than a year, until she was taken away from me too._

 _The clear sky, stars shining on the ground and sea. The moon reflecting on my skin, the coldness surrounding my confused soul. The wind slowly moving around, touching the grass with care. It was so silenced... so quiet. Almost as nothing had happened, nothing important._

 _The house was untouched, but the door was unlocked and stood open. Once I saw that dinner was still boiling on the stove, I realized she would never leave with the door left behind open, nor keeping the stove on its highest. She was gone._

 _Even if I ran to the beach, where the cruel men always were, I already knew it was too late. Her heart was still beating, that was a thing I just knew. But I had to confirm with my own eyes._

 _Those men, were strong and reckless. Sadly, I don't know their names, their crew name, nor their backgrounds. Just, that they were untrustworthy, a group of bastards... who kidnapped my last bit of family. The last time I saw my mom, I know it was her, was when a ship sailed away in the distance._

 _I was twelve at that moment, a whole adventure awaiting for me. Even if I have been through a lot at the beginning, it was a start for everything what had to come. A start I wish to no one, still hating the feeling I can't do anything to reverse it. Oh, I searched for her. I'm still searching._

 _Through the years I have asked thousand of people, asking if they know anything about the woman I was describing for them. Nobody knew any information about my mother, the crew or anything what had to do with it. Some suggesting a Sea King could have eaten them, they got lost on the sea or maybe being murdered by a stronger crew._

 _Of course, I thought about those possibilities. Even if that could have ended her life, I just hope she is living her life. She isn't one of the youngest anymore. Twenty-three years are not a few years ago. Already twenty-three years traveling, surviving, loving, fighting, hiding and forgetting..._


	16. 8 Replayed Appearances

Chapter 8: Replayed Appearances

️Present: { **Two months later** **}**

"Good morning, _love_ birds." The sleepy couple arrived in the kitchen, walking into the whole crew of the Red Hair Pirates, who were all eating. "Did you sleep well last night? Not that we heard anything..." said the one with a piece of meat in his mouth.

Within a second a knife was thrown at his plate, causing to let all his food fly into his face. "Lucky Roo... _don't_ " Akari grinned smugly as she sat down with a few more knifes in her hand. _Just to be sure..._

"Good morning to you guys _too_." She sang as she started to attack her food, being really hungry. _Because a certain man didn't want to let me go last night..._ The captain planted a kiss on top of the woman's head, already enjoying the day because of her _sexy_ morning mood.

He was still unable to believe that the woman next to him was his. It started two months ago and even now they are madly in love with each other. Akari loosed up as time passed, slowly returning to her old relaxed but a bit bossy self. "Can someone pass me the salt?"

Her hand was extended before her, expecting to get the salt. "No one?" She asked, but now looking up. Her eyes falling on five pieces of paper in front of her. The one on the top was a wanted poster. "That's not the salt..." She chuckled sarcastically, but it failed miserably. _Why is everyone quiet?_

Her eyes scanned the paper over and over again, not quite believing what was before her. "What's wrong?" Shanks suddenly asked as he noticed the silence in the room. Everyone was staring at Akari, who was looking emotionless at the piece of paper. _They must be joking..._

The captain's eyes traveled to the wanted poster, first seeing a picture of Akari. Then the amounts of Belly. _75.000.000 Belly._ It looked like the picture was taken recently. But why would she have a price on her head? What did she do?

"They published a _new_ wanted poster of me..." Akari mumbled softly. _I think it was taken before I magically ended up in the barrel..._ "Well, my price on my head raised with 4.000.000 Belly and I now got a better picture of myself." She smiled. "What's on the rest of the papers?" Shanks asked curiously, also trying understand the situation of the young woman.

The woman laid down the first paper, revealing the second one... of herself. _71.000.000 Belly._ It was just like the woman next to Shanks said, the amount of Belly had a difference of 4 million. _This was taken when I was with Doflamingo._

So, she knew all along she was wanted by the Marine? The captain thought, while being quite surprised about it. The picture was taken sideways, her eyes were shining bright. It was the same look on her face when she was fighting the marines from two months ago. That points out she must have fought many times before.

She looked quite young, something around mid-twenties. The red haired captain tried to connect all the facts, slowly understanding the wanted posters. "Well, what's on the rest?! Now, I'm really curious!" The rest of the crew nodded by the sudden comment as their eyes scanned the two wanted posters of Akari.

Her hands were trembling, expecting a name what was _not_ Akari. Her thoughts went wild, not knowing how to respond if her prediction comes true. _What do I have to tell them?_

Golden eyes, strands of short hair and a confused face of a young and innocent _girl_. I _had left my hometown just three months before the picture was taken. I was eighteen, not knowing what I did wrong in those two forgotten months._

"Another?" Before she could see her old forgotten, first, wanted poster properly, the lover next to her took it out of her hands. "You look so... innocent! How old were you?" _23 million Belly. Not much, but it was enough to scare the me at that moment._

"..." The woman didn't answer, because her eyes were somewhere else. The calm but deadly eyes of a certain person was staring directly at her on the _fourth_ wanted poster. Shanks had taken the third poster out of her hands, revealing the fourth one.

It was another poster, which she saw a few times through the years. It did not scare her, not of the fact it existed. But the question how it got on the table, together with the rest of her posters. _Who did this?_

 _Hikaru, the one who is like a second personality to me. The safety of disguise, where I can be crazy and shameless. The person I wants to hide from the crew, but who collected these wanted posters?_

 _Who knows the connection between the my two sides? I only told Mihawk... Did someone overhear our conversation_? "Do you know Hikaru, sweetheart?" The hand of Shanks had found itself to the trembling ones of the white haired woman.

"Is it your brother?" Their eyes met after Shanks turned her head with his hand on her chin, leading her face to his. She shook her head, noticing all the faces around her. "He isn't seen since a few years, so don't worry about him showing up."

Again, she shook her head. "Yeah, but if he shows up. It will be our pleasure to deal with him." The men around her said, while looking quite angry. _Kill him?... Kill Hikaru? Kill Akari?! Killing me!_ She stood up with her hands in her hair.

"I-I'm sorry I have to get some fresh air." Her sudden action caused the _last_ paper to fall on the floor, which fell from behind Hikaru. _Devil's Grin. My old, twisted, psychotic-self. Well, that's what they told me._

 _When Smoker offered 'Devil's Grin' the deal many years ago, they said something about its inhumanity..._ "Sweetie?" The man had found himself behind the woman, giving the white headed support to prevent her from falling to the ground.

"I-I'm fine..." She tried to say assuring, but the man now knew her after the two months being together. "Follow me." He took her hand, while the couple left the kitchen. A silence was created in the kitchen, automatically making the food taste terrible. The mood decreased to its lowest.

"What's wrong?" Lucky Roo asked the whole crew, not understanding the whole situation. The one-armed man and the only woman on the crew were out of reach to hear the current situation in the kitchen.

The wanted poster on the ground, Devil's Grin, was picked up and was put together with the rest of the posters. "The answer lays by the woman herself." As the five pieces of paper were put back on the table, some of the members were concerned about her. In the little three months since Akari arrived, _almost_ everyone was fond of her and accepted her in the crew.

"What if she knows him?" "You mean like nakama?" "Maybe they were really close!" "Be quiet! They are outside!" Eventually an argument was started with a lot of different opinions. "The answer lays _much_ closer..." Someone mumbled.

While nobody heard the person, the man walked outside. He looked at the couple, with his eyes on Akari. The man knew the truth, he knew it from the beginning. He tried to hint the woman to tell Shanks herself.

Except she never told the captain and maybe never would. So, he had to take action himself. Well, that was the idea of the man. The man named Benn Beckman, the First Mate of Shanks, who saw Devil's Grin with his own eyes.

️

"Ey sweetheart, just tell me if you know _him_." Captain Shanks was on deck with the love of his life. Well, he didn't know if the feeling was present on both sides, even himself didn't know it for sure. "..." Akari's skin was pale, much whiter than her normal skin color.

 _Should I tell him? Tell him the truth?_ The woman felt uneasy, because a bad feeling was present in her stomach. Like she knew something bad was going to happen. She knew for sure it would be about _Devil's Grin,_ the way how all the posters were on the table.

Someone had planned everything just like the way it would. Being exposed to all the pressure and curiosity... a bad combination. Everyone now knows she knows the name _Devil's Grin_ at least.

 _It is a stupid name, but it's a name what marked my two insanity years, my first two years after eating the Devil Fruit. When I was a Marine as Hikaru, nobody told me about all the crimes I caused as Devil's Grin. I was praised by all the commanders, but they always gave me a certain look. Like they were scared I would go crazy, again._

"She had met him zeventeen years ago, but through the years they saw each other a number of times, right?" A low voice interrupted the one-sided conversation. "Oh wait, you can meet another any time. Tell him, honey. It can't be a secret forever."

Benn was behind the two pirates, not intending to leave any moment. "Benn, what do you mean?" He did not answer, but his eyes were one the white haired woman. "Asked the one who knows everything about it."

Eventually the two men stared at the woman, one looking angry while the other was looking quite confused but worried at the same time. "It seems _love_ has made you blind, captain." The one-armed man tried to follow the conversation, but it was easier said than done. "Akari, sweetheart?"

A pair of golden eyes stared back at both men of the Red Hair Pirates' crew. "It caught you off guard since the beginning." Benn explained, but his face was still very serious. Every word he said was true, only making the woman more uncomfortable.

Her body stiffed up by only thinking about the whole situation, causing all the words to get stuck in her throat. "She. Is. Hikar-" The woman's eyes widened, not expecting the sudden confrontation. "I'm Hikaru!"

Shanks took a step back from disbelieve, hearing the woman exclaimed words, he never thought he would hear from her. The words sank in his head, slowly creation a clear picture.

"You are..." Only two words left his mouth, while staring at the woman... if she still was the woman, who she told him she was. "I camouflaged as being a male for my own safety. That's what I _think_ I did." The scared woman said, trying to prevent a fight. _Kind of a survival instinct..._

The confused and heartbroken captain could breath again, slightly. Akari was still standing straight, her eyes slowly traveling to Shanks. "I never wanted to tell you because..." Her eyes caused her sight to decrease, the possibility to breath became difficult. "I don't know that side of me. I only remember a big part of being Hikaru."

"So, you know a small part of being _Devil's Grin_. Don't forget _that_ important piece of information." The first mate was forgotten by the couple, while he still stood with them revealing a secret. "Don't tell me..." Shanks mumbled. "Yes! No! I mean, I only remember a few things of it." She mumbled quickly.

Shanks became a statue. "I'm sorry that I never told you..." Her knees were getting weak, her legs almost giving up on her. "We don't care if you intended tell us or not but..." _Wait what?..._

Benn continued to confront the desperate woman, which he recognized from many years ago. "You killed pirates like it was nothing." The harsh words from Benn were very clear, by everyone. "I... I never intended to do so." _I never intended to kill someone._

Akari felt very vulnerable as time passed, remembering the feeling of being accused of something. Unable to prove if the statement was wrong. _"Devil's Grin_... you killed my brother!" _He... he was that man..._

"K-killed?" Akari ignored everyone around her, only focusing on the first mate. The word didn't suprise her much, but the fact she killed family of one of her current crew members, made her feel guilty; the brother of Benn. _It was in the past... I doesn't remember it clearly but still... I did it and nobody could prove it otherwise._

 _I can't blame anyone beside myself. I know my actions could cause myself in every possible situation. Maybe I didn't expect this kind of situation... but I knew someone who had to suffer from my mistakes._

 _Someone who I loved very much, who I wanted to be with longer. To who I didn't listen because of my stupidness. In the end I regretted my stupid action... so, now I won't let Shanks choose... to prevent him from regretting his actions. I don't want to leave him behind, like I did with a certain king._

️Memory: 6 Years ago

"Come on, my pretty bird! That's not fair!" The man with the pink feather coat claimed in front of me. "Oh, I'm sorry! Since when do we play by fairness?" A little smile was on my face with my sharp teeth showing itself to the room. "Fufufufu... you got a point..."

He admitted it as he laid down the card of the joker, which he took for me moments ago. "this time." My head cocked to him, meeting his smile with mine. "What does that mean?" I asked innocent as I took a sip of my drink, before I walked to the _Young Lord_. "It depends." Doflamingo mumbled softly against my lips as he pulled my up to his height.

He carefully put me down on his lap, while my golden eyes stared at him in awe. _I just can't stop loving him..._ "On what?" My eyes got reflected by his sunglasses after he hovered over me, his hands traveling to my face. His hands were cupping my cheeks as he came closer, his breath beginning to itch on my exposed skin.

"On how many kissed I get." He gave my a little peck on my forehead, trying to hide his big smile. "So it doesn't matter from _who_ you get them?" I tried to look disappointed with my head hanging down. While we both knew I was smiling like a little girl.

"It _does_ matter, actually." With his thumb he lifted my head by pressing under my chin. Our focus was on each other, both enjoying the moment. Doflamingo was quite busy with ruling the kingdom, except he had some spare time for me each day.

"If the person pays me enough Belly..." He grinned quietly, while he looked away. "Wait! I don't have any?! I only have some Belly if you give it to me... to buy something for you!" His head was still pointed to one side, grinning. "That's not fair!"

I tried to reach for him, wanting him to look at me... but he held me on the same spot. His strong grip held me on his lab, not allowing me to move. His hands pressing on waist, pushing me down. _Why is he so strong?..._

"Since when do we play by fai- AH!" He jumped up, causing me to fall on table behind me. Now it was my time to laugh as he noticed the little bite mark in his arm. "What? Why!" _Serves you right._

He looked a bit shocked while his gaze was pointed to me, not understanding anything. "It depends..." I mumbled with my face pointed sideways, trying to hide my smugly smirk with my pointy teeth slowly decreasing.

"On what?" A little excitement was present in his voice, clearly playing along with the reverse conversation. "On how many kisses I get." He was still standing after the sudden bite, which now almost was invisible. With my butt on the table his height was even more obvious. "So it doesn-"

"Please, stop with the _lovey dovey_ thing! Do it somewhere else!" The eighteen year old girl exclaimed, while she pointed a gun to us. "Baby 5, don't be so mean to us!" My voice sounded like a spoiled child. I rolled over the table, ending up by the girl herself.

"Dinner is ready by the way..!" She said as her cheeks began to color red. She quickly left the room, which left me quite confused. "Why did she-?! hHm!" My body got turned around, my back on the table as I got kissed with lust. "Are"

His tongue tried to pass, but I kept my teeth together. "this" He bit on my lower lip, causing me to open my teeth. "enough" He groaned with his lips pressed on mine. "kisses?" He had me in his grasp, my hands above my head being locked by one of his hands.

A little moan escaped my lips, feeling a smile on my mouth in return. I tried to escape but his body was on mine, unable to move from his _death-_ hug. " _Dinner_!" He growled in our _intensive_ kiss, slowly releasing me as the angry voice reached our ears.

"Now!" The voice was from Baby 5, who stood behind the door. She knew I was unable to get away, because I'm never late for dinner. Well, if I'm not captured by a certain man.

Eventually, we were eating with everyone and talking about an event in the past. Which I never heard about, so I was quite curious. "And then suddenly a man comes to me and begged to let him live. Like, why would he get a chance to live? Fufufu!" My thoughts got stuck on that sentence. _Why would he not get the chance?_

"But you just told us that only the captain was in your debt, right?" Doffy turned his head to me, slightly nodding to my question. "So, that means the others could have return to their family, for example." He released a sigh, already knowing where this was going. _He did not just sign at me?! Right?!_

No one of the crew hated this kind of moments, they loved it actually. Seeing their _captain_ , their _king_ , the one who they have to call _Young Lord_ , be exposed by a woman. Seeing Doflamingo getting angry or frustrated because he hates to be proved wrong.

 _His is after all... a man who likes to get what he wants_. "Doesn't matter, they are dead anyways." He almost had a piece of food in his mouth until he heard me begin disagreeing.

"Not if you had let them live! Then _it_ did matter." Instead _I_ was now able to eat with a satisfied feeling, until he replied. "What's your point?" It was quiet on the table, because everyone was silently betting on who would win.

My thoughts went to my dad, who died because of being killed. _Maybe Doflamingo could have prevented the crew members to get killed, so they could happily return to their family. Alive. Which is quite rare of a choice you can get on the sea._

"If you had let them live, you could have prevented families to be heartbroken." His grip around his knife and fork was tightened, thinking of one of his own personal memories.

"Eventually you will kill someone's friends, siblings, parents, uncles, aunts or even grandparents. You understand?" He snapped at me, while the tension in the room was higher than normally. _Someone is grumpy..._

"Yeah, that you are an emotionless piece of shit? I understand that part clearly." Law choked in his food, while Baby 5 spit her drink. I stood up as my chair left scratches in the floor. My back was turned to the crew after I walked away. "Where do you think you are going?! We are eating." _I'm going to find One Piece! What do you think I'm doing?_

His head was cocked sideways, his angry stare burning in my back. "Excuse me, _Young Lord_." I admitted politely, while my voice sounded uninterested. Instead of giving my reason why I left the table, I closed the door behind my feet. I still could feel the irritation of the man and the excitement of the crew, while they experienced an outburst without eavesdropping.

 _The crew ate further, praising all the gods to prevent being a part of the current fight. After a minute, their captain started to stiff up, battling with his own feelings. First he sighed, then suddenly he threw a knife in the wall... before he sighed again. In the end he chose to follow the woman, feeling bad about this argument_.

"Wait! What are you doing?" He had followed my outside. _So, meant he had left the whole crew alone. Who, I think, are now trying to figure out who won the bet_. "Leaving." I bluntly claimed.

"Why can't you understand, that I can't let everyone live?! I'm a king! Not the Easter Bunny!" His grip around my wrist was almost crushing my bones, which he took moments ago. "It's not about the dead men or about you being king!" My back was still facing him, but now he wasn't that angry anymore.

"Please... just let me go." The hand on my wrist was burning in my skin, feeling him disagree. "Why should I let go of the person I love the most?!" I heard behind me, his heavy breathing slowly decreased. My wrist was released but my body got pulled back, taking my shield of emotionlessness away.

His arms were locking me in a hug, his head on mine as he lowered himself by bending his knees. _We both felt that this couldn't continue anymore, not in this way. We could change it..._

 _but would it be worth the effort? Could we make it perfect again? Being together... in the world of justice ruling all the people_. "Because I can't return the same kind of love... not like I used to do..."

️Present

"Don't act like you never killed someone! I saw you fight!" The first mate was walking to Akari, his gun ready to point to the woman's face. "I don't know _myself_ as being _him_ or any moments after I change a certain form!"

This was the last straw for the man. The gun in his hand was pointed to her forehead, ready to shoot any moment. _Please, do not shoot..!_ "Benn, lower the gun. You are not thinking straight, the sun must have burned your brains a bit..." Shanks chuckled as he stood before Benn, his back to the only woman of the crew.

Everyone stood around them, being curious because of the sudden shouting. "Just face the facts, both of you! I saw her-him- _that_ inhuman beast slaughter my brother!" Benn's eyes were on the captain's, trying to get the captain on his side. Slowly his gaze went to the woman, feeling his hate burn into her skin.

"I saw you smile and laugh at his death! You enjoyed every second of it!" The captain grabbed the gun from Benn, slowly pulling it out of his hand. "You...emotionless cruel human-" He was held back by some men as Shanks turned around to Akari. "no.. you are no human... you are a monster!" Benn mumbled, while trying to get his gun back.

"I... I'm sorry..." Akari announced, her knees finally gave up, causing to drop to the ground. Shanks didn't help her, not knowing what was right or wrong at that moment. Why did she lie? The confused captain thought. "No, you are not! You don't remember the memories of it!" Benn took a big gulp of air, before trying to say everything in one sentence.

 _Can I even say sorry?... I don't remember taking the life of Benn's older brother... Maybe he is right_... His hands were in fists, anger controlling his action. "You don't know how much he begged you! He begged you not to kill him because... he had a family... a wife with kids... who were waiting for him to return _alive!"_

"A-a family?" The memory of Akari's mom telling little Akari that dad wouldn't come home anymore, took control of her mind. "Yeah, and you don't even know how much the family had suffered. How I had to tell them... he had died because of a _heartless_ person taking his life. I, his own little brother telling _his_ family I couldn't prevent him getting killed!"

"Just stop!" Her eyes were empty, her body didn't move as her hair fell before her eyes. _I must suffer for my consequences..._ "I will accept every punishment... even being killed!" Tears started to fall on deck, her sharp nails were scratching the wooden floor. "even if I have to jump into the sea!"

 _When I was seventeen and finally heard the truth. The terrible news of dad being slaughtered by a horrible heartless man, my mind locked the sad feelings away. Only hate consuming my life, my feeling reflecting on mom until she got taken away too._

"I don't care what happens to me!" Her blood started to boil, while her whole body started to change. "Just finish me!" The burning feeling of scales ripping through her skin, starting to show on the surface. Her white silk colored hair moved to one side, almost representing a tail.

Her high vision was out of control, her heartbeat was unsteady. " _Sweetheart, calm down. I'm here..._ " _Somewhere in the distance... I feel safe_. _Someone is beside me, letting me feel protected_. _Who was it_? "Sweetie? Look at me _._ " _Shanks_?

 _Why can't I remember anything I want to remember_?! "Sometimes it's better not to know than be shattered by everything..." _I only thought about my wrong actions, my wrong memories... but was totally forgetting everything I did good, forgetting all the happy moments..._

?Word Count: 4333 

_**Please watch this video on Youtube:**_ Wattpad Story Skin Shedding Chapter 8

Time skips between:  
 **Present**  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

|  
 **11/6 years ago**  
Age 24 to 29  
Doflamingo: Age 28 to 32


	17. Sea

**Music^** **: Kap Slap- Gone**

?  
 **6 years ago**  
Age 29  
Mihawk: Age 35  
?

The knife was pressing against the back of my neck, inches from cutting off my own hair. In the distance there was a tornado, moving sand around like feathers dancing in the air.

The sound of the river filled my ears, the water moved fast, sometimes seeing a fish swim by. The feeling of hot sand burning against the bottom of my feet, even sand scratching against my exposed skin.

A certain man stood behind me, watching me cut my hair, who once saw me grow it through a couple of years. _I haven't see him for a few years, seeing he could now finally shave properly._

 _I had searched for Mihawk a few weeks ago, suddenly asking him something... after I walked away from a certain king... Even if I didn't really had the right to ask him something, because well... I left him without saying anything!_

 _Hawk Eyes accepted it to my surprise, eventually bringing me to Alabasta. I already passed that island many years ago, even past the reverse mountain, but I had to go back._

 _Just to finish something I wanted to do since the beginning. Finding Crocodile. Of course, finding mom was something I was doing through all the travels.I know I could have done it before, going to Crocodile, but either way it wasn't the right time, nor place._

 _The problem which held me back the most, was the Calm Belt. The still standing ocean currents, the briefly blowing wind and the Sea Kings swimming under the calm waters._

 _I never crossed those barriers, not that I easily could. So, I had to cross it to go back... but I had no ship... and I'm not strong enough to fight ten of those beasts at the same time._

 _Actually, this isn't the right time to go to Crocodile... I don't even understand my own feelings, not knowing why I took that sudden and recent decision. Well, it isn't important anymore!_

"Chica?" The swordsman was still behind me, being concerned about the knife in my neck. Suddenly, I felt cold drops waters fall on my cheeks, rolling across my skin into the sand. Before it could touch the ground, it already disappeared into thin air.

Those drops were coming from my eyes, feeling my hands trembling with my hasty breathing. "I-I'm fine." A whimper was released by my voice, while I assured him I was alright. _Of course, I'm not okay, but he doesn't have to know that. I already gave him enough trouble by my chosen actions in the past._

A hand was put on my shoulder, his way of showing that he won't ask questions about it. I wiped my tears away with my free hand, still holding the knife. It was not my knife, though. It was the one from Mihawk, a part of his necklace.

 _Why can't I move? Why can't I just do it?! I never had to cut it completely, only the out grown strands of my white hair, when I was by the Marine. Now I just have to cut off my long hair, a part of my true identity. It isn't a big deal._

 _Just something I haven't done in my life, taking away my identity. I can go to Crocodile with my normal hair length, showing me I had left the island. That I still went after him, even if he warned me not to._

 _Except I already made enough trouble, I already took too much time away by the people who could have used that time better. If he is happy, I will also be happy. If he is living his life, I won't interrupt him._

"Let me do it." Mihawk said with a soft chuckle leaving his mouth. His hand, which laid on my shoulder, went to the knife. Slowly and carefully he took it away from me, releasing my grip from the weapon.

I closed my eyes, being slightly scared. I didn't see him slash the knife past me neck, missing my skin by a few inches. _I_ _know he can wield swords like a legendary person, but I still felt uncomfortable. I trust him with whole my heart and soul, so why would I doubt him?_

So, eventually I opened my eyes. My golden eyes traveling to the beautiful, but deadly, sight in front of me. The endless amount of sand, the wind taking it away to far places. Being able to destroy houses, cities and even the lives of the people.

The sound of thick threads being cut made me sigh, feeling the weight leave my shoulders. Psychically and mentally being able to breath again. The bright, long and recognizable strands of white hair went past my eyes, seeing a part of me fly away.

 _My long hair gave me more possibilities by fighting, like giving me balance, being an extra weapon, also having a purpose as a shield. It felt more save. Now, I was exposed to the dangerous world. Only my speed, sharp teeth and claws helping me further. Of course, my eyes were still able to look in the dark, but most of the fights were in daylight._

"You can just say thank y-" "Thank you. For _everything_." With those fragile but steady words, I left Mihawk behind after interrupting him. Letting him stand alone by the river, his hat covering his bright but concerned eyes. _I truly meant it, thanking him for all the time he gave me..._


	18. 9 Regretted Actions

**Music^** **: Quiet Arrows- Find a way**

Chapter 9: Regretted Actions  
️Memory: 6 years ago

The sun was shining on my face, the sand was biting in my eyes, the heat slowly taking an advantage of me. The only thing what I could see was a desert, an endless view of sand. No wonder a particular man had settled itself on a Sandy Island. _I mean, look at the endlessness!_

Every step I took, almost felt like the wind trying to push me two steps back. My throat was as dry as sandpaper, feeling the amount of sand which had found its way into my mouth. I was almost by _Rainbase_ , knowing it by the air, feeling it change through my travel.

Mihawk had dropped me off by the closest distance from the ' _City of Dreams_ '. He was quite worried about me, knowing I _hate_ the heat of the sun. Mihawk gave me a bottle of water, which I lost after fighting a giant crab... who looked smugly the whole time! _Pervert_.

 _If I walked at the same space, I would be able to reach it before the sun touches the ground._ The short strands of hair were irritating me, as it flew in my face every time I opened my eyes _. It felt different... after a few years of being myself. Now walking in a desert with no water and acting like a person who doesn't truly exists._

 _Well, Hikaru is wanted by the Marine. Not because of a crime but because I disappeared into thin air. No trace of me, no sign, nobody knowing me, nobody seeing me. The confusion will end soon, after I have seen Crocodile living his life for a bit, if he can live without me, then I can move on._

 _I will return to the Marine, I will see Smoker and explain everything! Almost everything. Of course, I'm going to tell them I am no male. That I'm not the person who I said I was, telling them how I lost control, telling them it was all a mistake._

 _Telling them I never intended to create a second personality, creating a person who doesn't exist, causing people to worry for that person. It was a mistake, a big mistake. A stupid, idiotic mistake. What never should have happened, what could have saved many lives._

 _What could have saved many encounters with people, saving the feelings Doflamingo gave me, preventing the time Mihawk spent on me, just as Smoker. Where I didn't start my travel to Crocodile, where I didn't eat the Devil Fruit._

 _If it was just that easy, but the sea is too big. Everyone are living their lives, accepting what they have done, not thinking anymore about the moments I was with them, because they are moving on. Something I am not be able to do, apparently. I hold on to the past, I don't want to let go... because I want to feel what they felt. Being left behind._

 _The feeling of being forgotten, the feeling of hate because of not being able to go back. Time ticks further, the sun rises every day as the moon starts to show itself too. New pirates beginning their lives on the sea, some taking their last breath on their beloved ship._

 _I want to delete my existence from their lives, a file disappearing, a memory what is forgotten by all. I know I am not allowed to say sorry, I know I can't go back to them. How would the world go, if I didn't interfere? Just being a woman with a family on an island, just living a normal life?_

I looked at my hand, slowly watching my claws appear. _Have I done something good in my life? Like one thing? I can't remember. I only remember waking up and seeing dead people laying around me, knowing it was me as I saw the blood on my hands. The smell of blood following me as it was stained in my clothes._

 _I only remember hurting other people, not listening to them, not even trying. Because I knew better... I always thought. Well, I want to hold on to that feeling; guilt. Not because it makes me feel satisfied after all the people I had hurt, but because I tried too hard. Except, in one way not hard enough it seemed, after reviewing my progress._

I looked away from my bleeding fist, my nails piercing through my own flesh. The feeling of the sand scratching against my skin decreased, my scales protecting me. _I never took it serious. My powers. I never insisted to learn something about it._

 _I rejected the possibilities as a Marine, I fought with it while Mihawk taught me all the tricks, I used it as a joke while being with Doflamingo. I never took my time to understand my own situation, I can never return to 'my home'._

 _My search to one isn't really going anywhere, so I will take a step back and accept who I am. I will reflect it to the outside world, I won't hide anymore. I want to know what I am doing! I want to control myself. I want to control my actions, not wanting to hurt anyone, never again._

️Present

 _I have been under disguise of Hikaru several times, but being Devil's Grin... was never my intention. Hikaru was a second version of it because I got more in control over my powers. Not that I wanted to live as two different persons. It started much different than most people would think._

 _The first time when I woke up from a deep sleep, I had found out that time had left my side. Two months skipped away, two months of terror, they told me. With they I mean the Marine. They told me I killed someone, not showing me or telling me the details._

 _Before the two months were experienced by my unconsciousness, I took a boat to travel to Crocodile. Well, that was my plan. When the waves took me to an island and since the moment I looked in the eyes of a few men... after my first fight... it all changed._

 _So, back to the moment I got caught by the Marine; I was_ _eighteen, my hair was really long, almost dragging on the floor, my clothes were torn. First they thought they had the wrong person. I told them the same; It couldn't be me, it was not possible, right? Eventually, someone had to identify my, which took a few weeks before the man could show up._

It was not just a person, who came to identify me... no. I didn't thought of it at first but it was _Benn_. When he told me I killed his brother, while standing on deck of the ship of the Red Hair Pirates, I remembered again. He had to identify me, because he saw me kill someone he knew, someone he held dear.

 _I had to stay longer, still being blamed for murder, being the psychopath they were searching for. When Benn looked into my eyes, he nodded while rage boiled in his blood._  
 _But in the end, nobody could prove it. The higher ranks came, after they heard about 'this joke'. Nobody could prove him right, the same as proving me wrong._

 _Once the few important men of a higher rank arrived, they looked at me, looking at a young woman begin accused of killing a pirate. They laughed because Benn claimed an eighteen year old girl, who remembers nothing about the past two months, about killing a older pirate._

 _Through the whole progress, I got my first wanted poster photo. A photo was was taken while me being captured, my stay by the Marine. Why they took the picture at that moment isn't clear to me. The Marine used that same photo for a while, when I was with Doflamingo... I maybe killed a few marines while staying with him._

 _Before I knew it... I was released. My first photo wasn't used on a wanted poster of course when I was caught, but they gave it as a present to me in the end; in symbol of an apology for the young and innocent lady._

 _They also wanted to bring me back home, but I lied where I lived, I lied about my past life, I lied I was going to be okay... before I knew it I blacked out again, now a time skip of two years, eventually finding my way back by the Marine, finding my way to Smoker._

 _My appearance had changed dramatically; hair short, my clothes all looking new. Everyone apparently thought I was a male... I don't know why but something inside me told me it was better to play along._

 _At that moment, it was indeed the best thing to do... but not in the end. They forgot the innocent eighteen year old girl and looked at a psychotic-male of twenty._

That was the tale the woman told the whole group, the crew of the beloved male next to her. "That's how _Hikaru_ began to exist, a person which was created by my unconscious." First, nobody spoke as the woman ended her story. After a minute the red haired man laid his hand on the top of her left hand, carefully stroking her with his thumb.

"I don't need an apology, nor someone's pity. I had to face it eventually." While the word _apology_ was directed to Benn, she looked straight at the man himself. _When he almost shot me with his gun, his emotions took over_. _Well, that's what he told me as he looked back at his foolish behavior._

Akari understood him perfectly and didn't blame him at all, because she already pointed it to herself to prevent some, already experienced, events. Benn and the woman weren't on the same page, yet. But it will be some day... when they meet again.

The word _pity_ was for man next to her, really not wanting him to express more feeling to her. It was already hard enough to sit next to him, knowing this could be one of the last days seeing him... that broke her heart in thousand pieces. Hopefully they will meet once more, both living their separated paths. _It's the right thing to leave..._

"Sorry..." Once the word rolled over the lips from the woman, everyone looked at her. "Sorry for not telling you. Except I can't say sorry for what I did." The grip around her hand tightened, the grip of Shanks' hand.

"I can't say sorry until I remember it." The golden pair of eyes traveled past all the men as they all sat in the kitchen. "I don't want to use as an excuse, but it's a promise I will make with the one I'm in debt the most." _A promise that I will see them again, once the time is right._

Her eyes were on Benn, knowing he understood her statement. He simply nodded at her, accepting the promise. Akari slowly stood up, feeling quite tired. "I'm... going to sleep a bit." Shanks had let her go, the warm feeling of his hand leaving her skin.

 _I'm glad the sudden event between Benn and me didn't end up in a fight. Even if it was a week ago, it felt like moments ago. The feeling I felt, the memories, the promise I made for myself. Except one thing ticked me off; the feeling which was present in my stomach._

 _Was it a feeling of worries, hate or maybe love? Or was it a hint to leave the ship as fast as possible_? She didn't know, not that someone else would know it. Her feelings were everywhere, while she sometimes had thrown up in the morning and went to bed with a headache.

The moment she touched the sheets of the bed, the bed she was sharing with Shanks, she realized how much she always though about keeping her past a secret. Now, after telling the crew a part of it, she felt relieved. _It could have been a perfect home..._

Maybe it was her body trying to tell her... it was alright to tell it all along. Everyone has something in their lives they aren't proud of, so why can't she accept it either?

 _I will leave by the next island. Still reminding my of needing to feel guilty. Simply to pay back everyone, who I had influenced by my selfish or unconscious actions. It was the right thing to do... But was it the right time to do it? The right time to do such thing?_

️Memory: 2 years ago

"Mr.6, didn't expect you here." I just nodded at the comment from the just arrived person as I took my third glass of some strong liquid. _Maybe fourth or fifth... don't remember, don't care._ "Care to share a drink?" _So, obviously the person was still there, not that I cared._

 _I had found myself at the bar of Rain Dinners, all the people were gone while only the last employees were walking through the casino and restaurant. I just had to sit down and take the time to think... thinking without thoughts. I'm planning to leave in the morning, though._

My head was slowly going limb as the alcohol went into my blood. My hair reached to my shoulders as it touched my jacket, while a double bladed sword was hidden in a side pocket on the inside. I took a glass from behind the counter and filled it with the bottle, which stood next to me.

I shoved it casually to the right, but my eyes were still on the counter itself. I felt the eyes of the person next to me burning into my flesh. A sigh was released by me as I remembered what I did today, ignoring the person totally.

 _Today, could have been the day I died. Luckily, I didn't as I speak among the living, but that's why I'm so concerned. I ruined a mission, like really bad. I kind of killed everyone, even some Billions._

 _Well, I don't remember slaughtering them within a minute... but I know for sure a Billion pissed me off. The one, who was wanted by Mr. 0 was apparently killed... by me._

 _But I don't know what is going to happen with my life. I mean my boss, probably already knows I ruined it... but nobody has come to kill me, yet. Maybe someone is watching me right now, waiting to kill me... well, I can wait for the person and fear my death or I continue what I want to do. I chose second option, by the way._

"Since when do you like such strong drinks? If I remembered right, you couldn't even take three jars of rum and you were already sleeping like a sheep." The voice changed through the sentences, from a low and slow voice to a bit more excitement.

 _Not a lot of a difference but I could recognize it, almost as I remember someone by the stranger's voice. Maybe I didn't hear the person right as I didn't even listen to the spoken words._

I took a cigaret from a pocket of my jacket and lightened it up after I had put the cigaret between my teeth. "Look," I mumbled as the little fire from my lighter disappeared after the cigaret was properly burning.

"I had a bad day," My eyes traveled to the person next to me, probably drinking in silence as I took a drag from my cigaret, while slowly turning to the right. "I just-" In a second the cigaret was snapped by my sharp teeth as my eyes adjusted to the light, being able identify the person. _He..._

A cough was followed by my sentence before I could speak again, due the smoke what got inhaled and went in my throat. Except it got stuck because or my sudden 'choke' while the half of my snapped off cigaret flew out of my mouth. "C-Crocodile!" The half chopped off, still burning, cigaret hit on the ground before it left a burning spot in the wooden floor.

"Yes?" He replied slowly as smoke escaped his mouth, the smoke traveling right in my face. _When I was little Crocodile always did this, knowing I would cough. He always said 'You will get used to it.' With a slow but steady chuckle as an answer after I coughed in the stream of smoke._

 _Except now through the years I smoke if I am stressed_. So, the only response I gave was blinking a few times. First, he didn't say anything as I did the same but after a few seconds he laughed like he used to do.

I stared at him, almost wanting to say I'm sorry that I left the island. Not keeping my promise, not obeying his order as he left to become the Pirate King. "Leave the two of us alone." He waved with his hand while everyone disappeared after they closed the door. "How did you get back here?" He asked, while his eyes were still giving the same vibe as many years ago.

He drank his glass in one try, acting like it was nothing. "What do you mean?" I questioned back at him as I tried to lit my second cigaret, but the fire didn't want to show. While I flicked the lighter a few times, I accepted it was empty.

"Here..." I looked at Crocodile as he leaned forwards, his cigar still in his mouth, extending it to me. I moved to him with the cigaret in my mouth and lightened it with the cigar of Crocodile as it touched each other. My eyes were on the burning cigar, a different brand than he used to smoke.

His eyes were on me, closely looking at my actions, while I was focused of lighting the cigaret as fast as possible. I took a drag and let the smoke leave through my teeth as I opened it a bit. "Who am I kidding?" I admitted, already poring another drink for me and Crocodile after we departed.

"I traveled back with Mihawk..." While taking a sip I noticed his curious looking eyes, wanting to hear more. "After I had left Doflamingo..." My drink was empty in a second. Now really wanting to drink every drop of the bottle, so I filled it again.

"Hmm..." He simply said, like he was lost in his thoughts. I shook with my head, trying to get myself together. Suddenly a cold hand touched my face, pulling my chin to the right, to face Crocodile. _No..._

He saw through my camouflage, being able to look at the real me, _Akari_. All my female features were now shown to the person before me, seeing me as the person I was, the person he knew. _Crocodile..._

"Princess..." He softly pronounced, I thought I would never hear again. "When I saw you with the Shichibukai meeting... I thought I would never see you again." He claimed while he released more smoke out of his mouth. "Y-you saw me? H-how did you know it was me?" I leaned in, leaning upon the palm of Crocodile's hand.

 _I once went together with Doflamingo, when he asked me to join him to one of the meetings. I saw Crocodile entering the meeting, as a tornado of sand disappeared, while his whole body became intact._

 _When we got back Doflamingo claimed it was too dangerous if I accompanied him again. First, I didn't understand his sudden worries, but in the end it now all makes sense. Doflamingo must have noticed Crocodile's interest in me, trying to protect me._

"How can I _not_ notice you?" He came closer, inspecting ever detail on my face. "Croco..." His hand went to my hair, eventually stroking it with care. "Why are you leaving?" He suddenly asked, trying to keep my eyes focused on his. "I... have to ask you something."

 _I ignored the question, well I actually had a request for him what would answer his question_. "After I leave I want you to..." He had put his thumb on my lips, causing me to stop talking. "Who said you had to leave?" He mumbled, while his eyes were keeping me in his sight.

"Who said _you_ had to leave?!" I suddenly replied, even shocking myself after I slapped Crocodile's hand away. Before I knew it, tears were rolling over my cheeks, thinking about Crocodile's sudden departure. "I... I was worried, you know?" He pulled himself back, leaning against the back of the chair. "After I saw your wanted poster..."

The bottle with the alcohol had found its way into my hand, with a swift I gulped the whole thing empty. "Idiot!" I roared as my teeth were visible and the glass from the bottle broke in my claws. He didn't flinch, he just stared at me while I was in an emotional rage.

 _The evening flew by as the sun started to rise, the amount of alcohol defecting her brains... the whole evening erased out of her head. Just knowing she went to the bar and drank too much._

 _She drank her frustrations away, she thought. Akari drank that evening all alone and forgot she wanted to leave Rainbase. While the truth was much different. Maybe never remembering her reunion with Crocodile as Akari ever again..._

️Present

_  
 _My Dearest Shanks,_

 _Thanks for everything. For preventing me dying, giving me a save three months, even for loving me. Sadly, it's time to go as I look at the problems I created on your ship. I told you an important part of my past, hopefully I will be able to tell you the rest once we unite again. Once the will of the sea wants us to speak again._

 _I hope you will win every fight that has to come, be able to live as long you can and that nothing can hold you back for your upcoming goals. I wanted to be with you, fight beside you, live with you and achieve the impossible. Except that can not come true due my own selfishness, I have to suffer alone to solve my old caused problems._

 _Just know I love you, even after I laid down this letter. The moment you read this, the distance between us will be too big to unite in such short time. Shall the sea be in your favor as the waves take you to your wanted destination._

 _Yours Till the End of Time,_  
 _Akari_  
_

The just written letter left the hands of the woman, slowly touching the bedsheets of the couple. Her beautiful but mysterious eyes traveled to the male one last time, before she turned around and walked away. With her bare feet she walked upon the wooden floor, trying to remember it for if she wants to think back to this ship.

The Red Hair Pirates were all sleeping as their ship was in dock. They had found theirselves by an island, already being docked for two days. It was an island being inhabited by a fear amount of people, creating a small city.

Not many ships were found here, but the people who lived here were prepared for any visit. Food, weapons and even jewelries were offered to the pirates. Well, they had to pay for it but that wasn't a problem.

While the woman was in her thoughts, she had found herself by the railing. Her fingers were traveling over the damaged wood, expecting there must have been a lot of fights on this ship. _Sadly, I have to leave..._

Suddenly she saw four deep slashes in the wood, like claw marks. It wouldn't surprise her if it was her, who caused the damaged in front of the female. Dried up blood was present in the wood, like red paint decorating the ship. _Due the bad memories I created here..._

A soft chuckle left her mouth, revealing a smile on her face. Thinking back at how she reacted when she first saw blood on her own hands. "Leaving already?" The voice belonged to the man, who almost shot her straight through the head a day ago. _He would more likely encourage me to leave than begging me to stay..._

"You expected me to leave?" She replied back, not answering the question. "Who said I expected you to leave?" He questioned back, not letting the subject fade away. "I did, because you are the only one who is awake."

It was true, everyone was asleep, no hearing skills had to claim that. Last night everyone drank until they dropped to the floor. Well, they were able to drink again, because they could buy some from the island.

Which nobody on the ship had done for a month, except for the couple, who secretly held a barrel of booze hidden in the bedroom. Akari had a lot of trouble of preventing Shanks to drink it in one try. _We solved it in the end, by an other kind of seduc-solution!.._

"Well, good luck out there." Benn simply stated, already turning around. "You aren't going to tell Shanks or at least try to prevent me from leaving?" Akari was already sitting on the railing with her legs pointed to the island.

"Why should I prevent someone who thought clearly about the decision herself?" She didn't answer, nor said anything at all. "You thought clearly about your decision, right?" _Not really..._

He had hit the nail on the head, obviously noticing her disagreement. "Kind of..." She mumbled as her long hair moved beside her, the wind pressing softly against her back. "I can't really help you with your own problems... so I will see you again, if you changed your mind." Again, he turned around, but now the woman had let him go.

Her eyes were on the ground as one of her hands touched the necklace, the heart shaped pendant. _Mom? Are you still alive?_ The woman wasn't sure if she did the right thing, but felt wrong to stay with the crew. _I'm alive because of them, except I don't want to be a burden to them..._

Without looking back she jumped from the ship, landing on her feet as her arms were a bit spread to keep balance. She had made a bag from old clothes, of course with needle and thread. There was a bottle rum, what food to survive the upcoming days and some amount of Belly. _I didn't steal it from the pirates, I borrowed it for a long time..._

Slowly but in a steady pace the white haired woman's distance between herself and the ship began to increase. The ship where she traveled on for three months, the ship which fished her out of the water. Where her love for the captain began to grow slowly, not knowing why she loved him... it just felt right. It was worth the try, now she had to let go of that feeling.

 _Hopefully the headache and tiredness would fade away too, maybe I was becoming old? Who am I kidding? I'm thirty-five, that is no reason to call myself old! My powers aren't discovered fully, so O can't call myself old, yet._

As the woman quietly traveled through the city, her mind went to her lost mother. When she disappeared, leaving behind the confused twelve year old girl, the shield of safety vanished. She never wanted her to go, nor getting the feeling of being exposed. Now she had found herself walking away, walking away from safety and from a loved one.

?Word Count: 4614

Time skips between:  
 **Present**  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

|  
 **6/1 year ago**  
Age 29 to 34  
Crocodile: Age 38 to 43


	19. Devil Fruit

**Music^** **: morgxn- Home**

?  
 **17 years ago**  
Age 18  
?

The taste of the horrible fruit started to spread on my tongue. A big chunk of food was missing from it, already being in my stomach. The awful and almost poisoned flavor filled my whole mouth, looking in disgust to the piece of food in my hands.

 _Do I have to eat the whole thing? Eating twenty more pieces of this... this Devil Fruit?! I-I can't go back now! I have to finish eating it! I can't get mom or Crocodile back without this... this is my chance, my only chance!_

A cold feeling covered my skin, like a shadow touching me. The unexplainable coldness was spreading to my neck, almost as it went to my hair. Spreading to my fingertips, to my feet and eventually to my face. _What's happening to me?_

The coldness wasn't leaving me anymore, slowly becoming a part of me. My skin felt being tightened as it changed into a hard shield, like ropes being wrapped around me. Tightly but I can still move.

I moved my hands before my eyes, noticing the light skin-color taking over my skin. The pointy nails were cutting into the fruit, as it still was in my hands. Seeing the fruit slowly rotten in front of my eyes in details, like being able to see everything from a distance.

The warmth of the sun burning on me, the irritated feeling of my feet in my shoes... The wind changed its direction, eventually against my back. It allowed my hair to blow before me. My... my white hair falling before my sight. _White..._ I dropped the Devil Fruit, already knowing one bite was enough.

 _My whole body changed! I... feel so different. So light on my feet, feeling so free! I don't know what happened to me, I don't know what I changed into... what I can do, what I will do in the future... but it feels like the right decision. I just hope it is._

 _I just want everything to be normal again. Seeing mom safe and sound, smiling to me and being able to hear the adventures I had with Crocodile. Living my life to... to accomplish... something._

 _I don't know what I want to do when it's normal again, maybe it never will be normal again. Were we living normal? Is there any chance to change it back? Gathering everyone again who stood next to me in my life. The only thing I can do is try..._

 _Dad told me something when I was little, not that I gave much of a thought to it at that moment. Except now it sounds almost as an advise for in the future. Like right now._  
 _'Some things happen for a reason, even if the reason never reveals itself_.'

 _I don't know the meaning of it completely, but I know I just have to keep moving. Trying to move forwards, even if I step sideways a few times. I can't control everything in my life, so I will just let it happen._


	20. 10 Deadliest Poison

Chapter 10: Deadliest Poison

️Memory: 11 years ago

 _Mihawk was a good friend, actually he still is a trustworthy nakama. When I was being trained by him, our time was mostly spent with each other. We didn't talk hours about our problems or anything what troubled us. Most of the time we just sat in the room, silently enjoying each others company..._

 _Through the little three years spending time with each other, we began to understand another through silence... because it expressed each of us more than words ever could. Well, not always._

"So, tell me." The hawk-eyed man look at his red wine, enjoying the evening on the island. "Tell you what?" I, who was lying on the couch, also enjoyed the evening, but with some sake next to me on the table. Mihawk asked me the same question every day since a few weeks, not that I answered.

Normally he just drank his wine and continued to read the newspaper. "Why did you ask me to train you?" He had put down his glass, his eyes were gazing on me. His hat was on the table behind the couch.

With my arm reaching for the hat, feeling the feather tickle against the palm of my hand, I took it from the table. Carefully but with a straight face I had put it on my head, meeting my gaze with his.

"You was there at the right moment." I simply stated, my hands playing with the feather, moving it between my fingers. "That's the reason?" He moved in his chair, obviously wanting to hear more. "You seemed like someone who I could trust." "Trust?" My head slowly nodding, knowing it sounded stupid.

Such fragile word being spread like it's nothing. "Like it was faith." His eyes lit up, his thoughts going wild. "Faith?" Again, I nodded but my head changed its course. "I mean, when I saw you fight... you gave me hope." The hat was covering my eyes, not seeing the man anymore. "I had the feeling I could breathe again..."

"I'm glad you can breathe again." My head raised at his command, a smirk being shared by Mihawk. A nod was reflected to his kind action, raising my glass of sake to him. "If I had never met you, I don't know why kind of situation I would be in now!" Instead of raising his glass with me, his face changed of expression. "What would you have done? To who? Would you still be alive?"

My arm lowered by every word, thinking back about my spoken words. "Akari, tell me." I shifted uncomfortably on the couch, feeling his aura spread in the room. "Why did you ask me to train you? The truth this time." His eyes were serious, glaring at me with full concentration.

"I want to control my powers, I want to have control... I want to remember." _After that one time, my first fight..._ "But you do remember _one_ of the fights. So you know what you can do when you lose control." The barrier of safety was broken.

"Yes, one fight." Those words left my mouth, like they had to be freed. "What did _you_ do?" My eyes were on his, my feelings going everywhere. "You mean what did they make _me_ do."

His angry expression changed again once more. His eyes softened, while he slowly started to sit straighter on the chair. "Who are they?" My glass of sake was already empty, but my lust to drink my worries away was increasing. " _Chica_." The newspaper in his hands were crumbled in his grasp. "Some _dead_ marines."

️{ _The perspective is different than normal!}_

"I couldn't outrun them. They had chased me until my muscles gave in." _The night had caught up with the two pirates, shining through the windows_. _The female thought about a memory from when she was just eighteen years old._ "When I looked into their eyes... they already had lost their humanity in some way." _The white haired woman was shifting on the couch, her eyes were everywhere but not with the man in front of her._

"My body was frozen in fear, I couldn't move nor talk. I..." _She had lost her voice, but Mihawk was simply gazing_ _on_ _her, giving her all the time._ "They wanted me to fight." _Her hands had found the blanket on her body, playing with the piece of cloak._

"To fight them." _The two pair of golden eyes held each other in gaze, after the woman looked in the man's eyes._ "I hated it with whole my heart, really not wanting to fight. Before I left my old home, I didn't think of the consequences." _The smell of wine and sake filled the room, supporting the drunk aura._

"But they kept insisting..." _Her hand went to her neck, carefully touching the spot where she was hit._ "Well, insisting isn't clarifying it completely." _As she stroked the scar on the back of her neck, memories of the caused incident returned once more._

"So, I tried to fight them, but I dodged their attacks more than attacking." _Expressions of pain and confusion covered her face, still wearing the hat with the feather._ "I ended up in a duel, because they thought it was _unfair_ for me to fight them all at once." _It was quiet for a few minutes, only hearing the breathing of the two humans._

"I first fought against the rookie of the crew, who had to prove his strength." _The glass of sake went to her lips, almost touching the skin._ "My claws were showing itself, being able to protect myself from the sharp and _deadly_ poisoned blades..." _They never had spoken so much to each other than this night, sadly there won't be a night like this anymore..._

"Until it went wrong." _The woman released a sigh, thinking back at the moment what changed a big part of her life._ "Before I realized my cut in my neck, _something_ snapped in my head. My way of thinking, seeing, hearing, smelling... everything." _Slowly she took off the hat, putting it on her lap._

 _The memory of getting the scar repeated in her head, over and over again; One of the poisoned blades had cut in her neck, triggering something inside her._ "And when I thought they started shouting again, not letting me leave any moment soon..." _She felt the eyes of the man burn into her skin, almost if he knew what she was going to say._ "only silence replied."

"I'm was sure _I_ didn't kill them! I-" "Don't blame yourself because you wanted survive." _The man looked at her, while trying to reassure her it wasn't her fault._ "Mihawk... I slashed their throats like paper... that has nothing to do with surviving!"

"Blood was covering my whole body!" _Her breathing was unsteady and her heart beat rose to its peak._ "You maybe wouldn't be here if you didn't kill them." _Akari couldn't deny it, she should be happy... that she was here; safe._ "You can't prevent people getting killed."

 _Slowly she could breath again, thinking about how lucky she was. Surviving a fight as an eighteen year old, being on the sea for only a few day._ "Thank you..." _Those words were true, truly thanking him for everything._

 _Her eyes went to the hat on her lap, the feather was white while it touched the leather covered with the colors black and red._ "You like the hat? I mean, did you want to have a darker feather instead?" _The female wanted to change the subject as fast as possible._

 _She bought the hat for him, trying to create a dangerous image for Mihawk. First he only wore it on the island, but after a while he started to wear it all the time. Of course, in the evening... he took it off._

 _The woman looked back to the man, waiting for a reply. Through her story she was unaware how tired the man was, the days of hard work were visible in his eyes. The glass of wine was on the table next to him, matching the empty bottle. The man's eyes were slowly closing, locked in his own thoughts._

 _Akari calmly_ _watched him go into a slumber, while trying to stay awake. The cold wind blew through the house, making her shiver. Her mind directly went to Mihawk, who was sitting in the chair in front of her. He was leaning on the palm of one of his hands._

Her feet touched the ground, letting her body leave the couch. Her hands went to the blanket, which was laying on her legs for the past hours. _Thanks to you... I can breathe on my own again_.

The blanket left her warm skin, carefully being put on Mihawk, covering him with the piece of cloak. _Hopefully, when we meet again... I can still breathe on my own. Not being a burden to you anymore..._

️Present

The woman was lost in her thoughts, while her travel had just begun. The fresh air of the sea slowly decreased, finding herself step by step further away from the beloved ship. Her plan was kind of sorted out, not really good but it was possible... with a lot of luck.

Her feet dragged her through the dock into the little city, sensing the unknown voices. Every morning at the Red Hair Pirates' ship was quiet but messy, like every evening was loud but delighted. The same voices, the voices of men she trusted, were surrounding her her every night as they drank together, until last night.

Lame jokes but emotional stories were shared, even Akari sometimes gave a taste of her past to the crew. Every day ended in harmony, every night was shared with the man she loved.

Every day was different, every night was more cherished than the day before. Even if she never 'officially' joined the crew of Shanks, it felt like Akari was a part of it all along. Everyone knew Akari's life in the end and hopefully it would also stay by the crew.

A wave of pain struck into the head of Akari, her view became blurry for the time being. She stood still for a moment, her hands going to her head trying to stop the sudden pain.

People of the city were walking past her, not sensing her presence. The smell of gunpowder filled her nose, waking her up out of her thoughts. "Hello beautiful, I think this will fit you perfectly!"

A rope was pressing around her wrist, a _click_ was released in her ears and a strange man was standing before her, not being able to look at the man himself. "So, that will be hundred thousand Belly."

The White haired woman looked at the red pearls around her wrist, being confused by the sudden man. _Red pearls..._ Her hand went to shining object, not realizing where she found herself in. _I recognize this from somewhere..._

She couldn't look at the man, her eyes wandering to the ground. "Thanks." She mumbled, not knowing what she can do. "Wait! You have to pay!" A hand was put on her shoulder, preventing her from walking any further.

Her golden eyes were set on the road of the main street, really wanting to keep walking. She couldn't turn her back, like she _really_ had to walk away. "Hundred thousand?" A random voice mixed with the one-sided conversation, creating a possibility for the white haired woman to escape the blurry conversation.

Akari on the other hand was still gone from the real world, if she was still in it. Something held her back, something told her she was doing something wrong. Except she didn't know what, so she walked further.

The two strangers, which she forgot immediately, were left behind on the main street. The man had let her go, his hand letting go of Akari's shoulder. The young woman gazed in front of her, looking at the shops at her left and right.

When she tried to look into the shops, she could only see her reflection. The people were walking aimless on the street, not bothering the stranger.

"You could have said thanks... at least." It was the same voice she heard a minute ago, was now behind her, breathing heavy. Akari turned around, her hand on the new bracelet and looked straight in the eyes of an old woman.

"Thank-" "No not anymore. Come with me." The pair of golden eyes were traveling to the older woman, finally being able to control her own body and thoughts again. The older woman had grey colored hair but with a few strands of red, the last bits of remains of her natural color.

It looked like time had caught up with her perfectly, looking tired in the eyes, her hands trembling on her staff for support. While her long hair was put into a messy but still a bit classy, her eyes had an ocean shade, which reflected the sun like a shiny shell.

"I'm sorry but have to go." Akari exclaimed, being able to talk again. When she thought back to the strange man, she couldn't talk to him nor look him straight in the eyes. Like she was being in a different world, both living in different moments. Well, she didn't quite understand the situation but she somehow ended up with a bracelet around her wrist.

"Come on, we don't have all the time." The old woman said and turned around, not listening to the 'traveler'. The voice of the stubborn grandmother sounded old but there was a hint of happiness. Almost as she didn't talk in a few years, but not locked away from the outside world.

While Akari's body moved itself to follow the old lady, her eyes traveled to her surroundings. The sky was clear, the people of the town were being busy and the street had a happy aura. Every person, who walked passed them, turned their face to the opposite direction. Almost if she was in a dream, in someone else's memory.

Chickens, pigs and even a cow walked freely through the street. The bright pink leafs of cherry blossom trees were moving around by the wind as a little child danced on the music of a man, who was playing the flute. Everything looked so perfect, almost as it was impossible to come true.

Through the few days staying on the ship, the island didn't looked the same as from her current perspective. Like it was more silenced and only a few people were working on dock, while their expressions were mostly tired. Maybe she saw it wrong from the ship itself, being to far away to predict the behavior and the way of living from the people of the city.

The white haired woman looked over her shoulder, her sight traveled to the ship in the distance. Weirdly enough, Akari couldn't see the ship, only the dock where she walked through. The dock was all painted white or with bright colors, but she was sure it looked like it could collapse any moment. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

Her focus went back to the grandmother in front of her, well she thought she was one. "Yes, it indeed is." While they walked through the street in a slow pace, the white haired woman started walking beside the other but older one.

After a few minutes Akari realized how the old woman's clothes looked pretty expensive, not what you could easily find on a little island, more like in Dressrosa for example.

"My house is just a few minutes from the main street, I hope you don't mind the distance." Each word she spoke was in a rhythm with the sound of her little staff. "Thank you." "Actually, I have to say thanks to you." She quickly replied, refusing the now crew-less woman thanks.

"To me?" Akari watched her carefully, not quite understanding her. "You remind me of someone." Without saying anything in return, she suddenly stood still. "Is there something wrong? I-" I wanted to ask, but got interrupted after saying four words. "I haven't introduced myself properly to you, forgive me. You can call me _Ruby_." _Ruby..._

Before the white haired woman could answer or say anything at all, Ruby was already walking further, letting Akari stand alone in the almost ending street. Before she matched the grandmother's walking pace again, Akari turned her back, allowing herself to look at the main street. The sun was almost beginning to gets its shape, the warmth increasing by every minute.

Her feet started to turn back, her face leaving the sun, starting to see her own shadow. "M-my name is Akari. Nice to meet you, Ruby." " _Akari_..." The old woman's mind almost seemed to be somewhere else, maybe she thought about the person who she referred Akari to. "Life is precious." Ruby simply stated, while the path slowly became smaller.

The two women ended up a few blocks away from the main street, being able to see the old woman's house. It was small, but looked quite cozy. A wooden house standing between a few bigger buildings. "I never wanted to break down my beloved home of me and my husband. Except through the years everyone chose otherwise."

The rattling sound of keys were ringing in her ears, seeing her trying to open the lock. "I'm more a cozier-type of a person." She winked at Akari with a comfortable smile, before inviting her in her house. "Sorry but... for what am I needed here? I mean, I got no plans but-" _maybe a travel plan..._

The door was being shut as she walked passed Akari, ignoring her completely. "Look my child, my husband passed away years ago and I just needed some company... Some tea?" The younger woman nodded at her, after she leaded her to the living room. "And I also saw that you needed some company as well."

Again, before Akari could say something, like that _didn't_ happen much today, she disappeared into the kitchen. A sigh was released by the young woman, slowly admitting she was indeed feeling lonely. Even if she left the crew less than half a hour.

Eventually, a painted wall caught Akari's attention, showing a sketched map of the world. Akari walked to the beautiful but rough sketch. The Grandline was very obvious, except she never saw a map of the world. There were no names of places, just dots which could represent islands.

"Sorry I took so long. I never have been a fan of standing in the kitchen, my husband always made dinner... I was more of a... _discoverer_?" She had put down the plate of tea with cookies and joined the visitor in the living room. They both stared at the wall in silence. "My days are over, yours on the other hand are smoothly starting to sail into the right direction."

The words repeated in her head, being quite confused by the owner of the house. _How could the old lady know my life? And if it is the right direction... does it mean it was a good decision to leave the ship? To leave Shanks?_

It was weird to stand into a house of a stranger... Well, the older woman wasn't that of a stranger to herself anymore but Akari never expected her 'easily planned travel route' to be delayed this quickly.

It wouldn't change things much in the end, though. "The world is so beautiful, that it's _cruel_." Akari's gaze was still on the map as she stated that sentence, but the young woman could feel Ruby disagreeing with her statement.

"The world is so _cruel_ , that it's beautiful." With her stick she pointed to one of her windows, which were reflecting the fresh sunshine of today. "Everything you see around you is being this way because of something cruel. Until nothing worse appears, it will stay this way. Maybe not causing it directly, but in some kind of ways it will always be the same reason."

"So, why were you leaving your crew?" The Devil Fruit eater almost choked in her tea, feeling the hot liquid get stuck into her throat. Before Akari could simply enjoy her tea, Ruby started to bomb the visitor with questions.

"Or should I ask; Because of who are you leaving?" The golden pair but surprised eyes met the old woman's bright ocean colored ones, getting a feeling this conversation is just getting started. "No, I never joined the crew... I was just temporary traveling with them." _Was I really just traveling with them?_

️

They were talking all day, talking about their lives, about the future and the past. _The old woman wasn't just someone who lived on its own or someone who told tales about other people. Nope. She was a woman who traveled with a crew and fought many pirates._

It was almost a reflection of the young woman... well, Akari traveled a lot _from_ crews, not _with_ a crew. Through time they began to trust each other more. It maybe sounded weird, but they became good friends in such short time. Nakama... true nakama's to another. Almost if they had to catch up with each others lives.

 _A few hours after they first met, Akari stood up and had excused herself from the conversation, her hands on her stomach. Ruby, the older woman in the room followed her with her eyes until the young woman disappeared._

 _Akari was searching for a bucket, trying to hold her urge to vomit, her mind was going crazy. An unknown feeling covered whole her mood, feeling weirdly sick. Making her scared like falling into the sea!_

 _Her legs gave in after she had found one, her hair covering her face. "Well, that means something good, doesn't it?" Her hair got removed in front of her face, noticing someone behind her. The pair of golden eyes tried to look who it was, of course it was the old lady. "Something..." The sick woman tried reply as her head was almost in the bucket._

 _"Good?" Ruby tried to comfort her with her hand on Akari's back, telling her it's alright. Even if their conversation made time fly by, the words that this was something good got stuck in her mind, stopping time almost completely. The white haired woman never felt sick on the ship, so was she ground-sick?_

"Well, make your choice, time is almost up." The two women had found theirselves back in the living room, after Akari had taken a shower. The cold but fresh water had covered her body, creating a comforting feeling around the young woman to get through the rest of the day. "What time?" The smell of tea and sweet cookies were filling the room, but non of them was hungry.

"Choose wisely..." The old woman's voice sounded sad but excited at the same time, except Akari could only notice the red haired man through the window, searching for the love of his life. _Shanks._

She stood up, totally ignoring and forgetting the older woman. Her feet brought her by the front door of the house, not even remembering how she got there in the first place.

"Akari! Please answer me!" The cape was dancing around him as the wind of an upcoming storm was nearing. Her hand was on the doorknob, seeing him shout through a little window next to the door. "Are you here?!" His red hair was messy and his eyes expressed a lot of worries.

Even if she wanted to leave the door closed and let him search further, something pulled her back to him. Back to the deadliest poison in the world; _Love_. She was immune to all _experienced_ poisons, to the potions with horrible after effects. Except this was an exception, different than being with _Doflamingo_... a feeling she never felt before. _True love?.._

That feeling, the taste of the poison what consumed her, all the love from the one-armed man. She wanted more of it, she just couldn't forget it. Her body and soul were fighting against the mind of the stubborn and selfish woman. Her hand slowly opened the door, being able to see the captain with a clear sight.

Each step she took, each breath she took, everything told her to run! The depressed feelings, the heavy pressure on her lungs disappeared by every second she came closer. The door closed behind her, the wooden door of a cozy house... of an old woman named _Ruby..._

Akari's golden eyes were concerned and hopeful, simply expressing her needs and desires. Before she could say anything, her head went against her thoughts once more, feeling the bouncing hits against the inside of her skull. But this time, she tried to ignore it, trying to reach the man. The pain being covered by love.

Her long silk colored hair reflected the disappearing sun, while her feet decreased the distance between the couple. The captain's back was turned to her, knowing his eyes were on the houses around them. " _Shanks_..." She mumbled, her voice was cracking and very soft. Almost as the wind could lift her words into air, turning it into nothing.

The black and familiar colored cape changed its position, the face of the man met hers. Their eyes searching contact, needing to know if the other is alright. Even if they stood in front of one another, both of them couldn't move. Tears of happiness but also sadness filled the woman's eyes, her body feeling weak.

"Sweetheart..." A strong arm was thrown over the shoulders of the emotional woman, meeting her arms, which moved to the man's face. They were inches from each other, their breathing slowly changing into one, the cape closing them in. "I thought I lost you..." She shook her head carefully, a smile showing on her face. "that I lost you forever."

Gently their distance became nothing but thin air, both bodies being pressed against one another. Shanks' chin was set upon her head, his thumb stroking her neck. The white haired woman had found herself against the warm chest of the man she loves greatly.

"How did you end up here?" It was quiet for more than ten minutes, their hug of loneliness was filled with love but also relief. Slowly they departed, exposing the puffy eyes of both humans. They both had cried, maybe the one more than the other, but it showed their true feelings.

"Because of Ruby." Her eyes lit up, really want to introduce Shanks to the kind lady. " _Ruby_?" Akari nodded happily, trying to get out of the tight hug. "Yeah, she lives here and-" Akari stopped thinking, the words were nothing but _How's_ , _Why's_ and _When's_. Questions filled her mind, looking at nothing but a _wall_. A simple wall.

"She lives where?" The confused woman walked to it, her hands on the cold stones, letting Shanks stand alone in the deserted street. "Here..." Her fingertips first were touching it with confusion, then slowly her hands were beating against it, before pushing holes into the stone wall with her fists.

"Where is she?!" Blood began to color the stone crumbles, which fell on the ground. "How did the house disappear?" Her knees gave up, letting her drop on the ground. "When did she _left_?.." Shanks could do nothing but look at the devastated woman, not being able to figure out how she became so... _hopeless_?

Her hand went to the bracelet she got from the strange man, ripping it of her wrist. _Where did she go? Did she leave me behind? Am I going crazy? What did I do wrong?_ The red pearls were rolling on the ground, spreading it around the devastated woman.

 _When he watched her get carried out of the barrel, his eyes had never been set on a woman like her. When she opened her eyes the first time, he never had known he could love eyes so easily. When she spoke to him, he loved it and wanted to hear more from her. Even when she had stolen some food and rum out of the kitchen, he began to love her more!_

 _It didn't matter what she did, how she responded or even... what she was, what her past beholden... He wanted to make her smile. Every day he could say good morning and good night, every day he could just simple see her. When he had found out she was Hikaru as well, he didn't blame her, he could only think about 'How did she get through this?... Without sharing it?'_

 _When he woke up, this day, and he saw nothing laying beside him, only a letter at the end of his feet. A letter written with emotions, with an amount of love and loneliness overwhelming every word. He couldn't just do nothing, he couldn't let her go!_

 _He was searching all day for her, nobody knowing where she was or noticing a woman walk through the city in the early morning. He was searching when the sun started rise into the sky until this very moment, when the sun started to set and was leaving the couple behind in the darkness._

 _He couldn't believe that the woman, who he loves so much he doesn't know how much, was crying and beating a wall... screaming questions against a wall... doubting her own confidence and her own mind... all alone._

 _All alone trying to figure out problems and questions, which aren't all created to solve alone. Those_ _barriers in life are created to get through it with others, to realize how much people care about that person. He just wants to make Akari realize... how much he cares for her._

🃏Word Count: 4954

 _Please watch this video on Youtube_ : Wattpad Story Skin Shedding Chapter 10

Time skip between:  
Present  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

13/11 years ago  
Age 22 to 24  
Mihawk: Age 28 to 30


	21. Beach

**Music^** **: Seneca B- Flowers**

?  
 **Present**  
?

"You are taking good care of her, right?" Two men had found theirselves on the beach, simply enjoying the sun. Even if both of them wore a cape and had a sword, they were quite different from each other. They had met one another countless of times, but because of an event in the past... it decreased.

"Of course," The red haired man nodded at the other, totally agreeing with him. "I don't want to lose her." Those words were repeating in the head of the man with the 'hawk-like eyes'. _Not wanting to lose her. Before Mihawk knew it, she had left the island. He woke up in the morning, not being able to find her. She was gone._

Even if he wasn't really good friends with the one-armed man next to him, he didn't want Shanks to experience the same thing he got through. _He searched for her, he thought the worst had happened to her... until he remembered what the young woman once said; she could 'breathe' again because of him._

 _The golden-eyed man first didn't understand it, but she just wanted to move on. Even if she shared a story with him, it was like... she had to leave the memory behind, so Mihawk had to be left behind too. Simply because he was connected to that certain event. Being the last sentence of a chapter in Akari's life. A good ending._

"I don't care what will happen in the future... but don't get mad at her." The captain of the Red Haired Pirates looked up, leaving his sight from the shells at his feet. "Don't get mad?" They were sitting on the sand, their faces pointed to the sea, the swords laying next to them.

"She did nothing wrong," Eyebrows were knitted together, sending a look of confusion to the man with the feather hat. "she is just bad at choosing the right thing." A shadow covered the face because of the hat, only golden eyes reflecting from the darkness.

"The right thing?" Shanks was repeating the words of Hawk Eyes, again. Being confused about the whole conversation. He was already quite bewildered, when the man with the cross necklace, asked him to talk him about something important. _Akari,_ apparently.

"Well, than what do I have to do?" The man with the three scars on his face asked him in hopelessness. Mihawk sighted as he stood up, not believing he was actually giving an old rival some advise. "Just don't let her think she stands all alone." The long cape moved with its owner, the leather boots leaving prints behind in the sand. The waves of the sea removing it immediately.

The distance between the two men was increasing in a steady pace, one still sitting on the ground while the other disappeared into the little forest. Shanks didn't move for a hour, just sitting alone on the beach. He thought about it, he was thinking a lot about that woman. He would never let her stand alone. _Never_.


	22. 11 Concluded Love

**Music^: Glass Animals- Gooey (Wild Culture Remix)**

Chapter 11: Concluded Love  
️Memory: 10 years ago

"Oh, come on!" I could hear his shoes follow me, the sound echoing through the hallways. "My pretty bird..." I simply shook my head, while running around a corner, trying to get away. "Ey!" His voice became louder and louder, knowing he was nearing.

It was already a year since I joined the Donquixote Pirates, a weird year. Every time Doflamingo started to be kind to me and I thought he _really_ cared about me... he would push me away. Not literally, but he expressed it with a few current spoken words, _very_ clearly. ' _Just a servant.'_ For example _._

Today, the reason why I walked away, was because of the _Young Lord_. Every day's subject is 'Doflamingo', always. Like, don't they have anything special to do? So... the reason why the big pink bird was following me around was because he was being a jerk. A bigger jerk than normal. _That's possible, right?_

"Please listen to me!" His voice was in the distance, slowly fading away. But that only made me run faster. Shivers started to run across my skin, sensing that the man was close. On my bare feet touching the cold stones, I ran to the end of the hallway. While I just guessed my way out of the maze of hallways, I began to realize... I was never good at guessing.

My hands were pulling all the handles of the doors in the empty hallway. Non of them was unlocked, finding myself trapped as a weak animal. "Finally..." A sigh was released behind me, a big shadow hovering over me. Slowly I turned around, first seeing the pink feathered coat.

"What do you want?!" I sneered at him like a cat, my hair resembling a tail, while me eyes started to pierce through his soul. Not literally, but the man in front of me maybe thought it as he took one step back. Of course, he wasn't afraid but he was just joking around, like any other 'serious' moment.

My sight went to his sunglasses, only seeing my own reflection. He looked down on me with a smile, enjoying the situation. "..." "That was cruel!" I shouted at him, not letting him explain. "People are cruel." He mumbled, his mind speaking instead of his heart.

I said nothing as his gaze stayed on me. "I just-" He started, his face pointed sideways, not looking at me. He scratched on the left side of his face, unable to stand still on his feet as he shifted uncomfortably. The smile was gone, eventually both his hands behind his back.

"I thought you- That I- I mean- you-..." He cut off is own words, struggling with his way of telling. Even if I didn't understand him one bit, my face expressed nothing but a curious image. The tall man stepped forwards, his hands still on his back. " _The maid costume isn't necessary anymore._.." It was a soft whisper, almost too silenced to hear it.

A little package wrapped in a piece of cloak was in his hands, presenting it to me. "What is this?" Our hands were touching each other as I took the little present. We held one another in sight, trying to read the others' emotions. Our touch was broken in a swift, both not understanding the excitement.

My fingertips were meeting the silk cloth, carefully revealing the mystery. "It's some time I'm giving you." _Time._ That word was a new way of communication, both understanding the countless meanings of it. His eyes were burning on my skin, getting tingles I never thought I could have.

It was a stack of clothes, clothes I could wear. Finally something else than the black and white clothing. A satisfied feeling filling my whole body. Before I could thank him and tell him I was sorry for my sudden outburst, he was already walking around the corner.

The sun was shining in the middle of sky, only making the shadows increase in the hallways, letting me stand alone in the darkness. My hands were tight around the load of clothing, still being surprised about Doflamingo.

I still stood on the same spot for a few minutes, my eyes on the clothing. _I should wear it._ I eventually went to my room, which wasn't small at all. The white silk curtains letting the sun shine as the big pieces of cloth were shoved to both sides of the big window, letting me see a big part of the palace.

The bed in the middle of the room with twenty pillows and a few blankets, a make-up table in the corner, a big closet for _now_ four sets of clothing. The maid costume, pajamas, _another_ maid costume and the new clothes from Doflamingo.

Even if the room was quite boring and simple... it felt save in some way. But something went missing, without it I can't call it _home_... but what is it?

"Young Lord?" I knocked on the door, the door from Doflamingo's office. I wanted to thank him for the permission to wear other clothes. It wasn't a big deal, but I also wanted to check on him. Something told me to look if he was okay, like I felt worried. _A lot_.

Nobody answered after knocking a few times, so I walked into the room. It wasn't the first time that I entered the office. With my bare feet I walked over the carpet, the soft feeling of wool on my skin. One window was open, letting some leafs fall into the room.

Without any care, I had let myself drop in a big leather chair, which was pointed to the desk. My feet were on wooden desk, letting my body relax. I waited for more than an hour, well I thought I did as I found myself walking up in the chair, in a uncomfortable position and the sun was higher in the sky.

With pain in my neck I tried to stand up, giving up the chance to thank him. Before I could walk away, my body got pulled back. My feet stiffed up and my body met the back of the leather chair again. My arms went to the arms of the chair, not being able to move. With my face pointed to the deck, I noticed I couldn't move my own body anymore.

Footsteps were behind me, a little chuckle included as well. "They look lovely on you..." I was only able to nod, feeling his presence behind me as his breath was touching my shoulders. "..." My face went sideways, my eyes meeting the familiar sunglasses. No word or sound could escape out of my mouth, only my eyes moving and traveling to his face.

My arms went into the air, slowly searching to the man behind me. My hands touched his hair, my fingers moving through the blond locks and ending up in his neck as his face was closing the distance between our lips. Before I was released of being controlled, our lips had found each other.

Eventually every move was taken by my own decisions, turning around as the kiss was still continuing. We came closer and closer to each other, my arms around his neck while he lifted me in the air as I wrapped legs around his waist. Our lips departed after the soft and fragile kiss, both being scared and excited at the same time.

Our eyes were on each other, now finally knowing the confusing feelings. Our actions became directly and fast, finding ourselves in the bedroom, which was connected to the office. I wasn't tired anymore, nor the pain in my neck was present. Nothing around us was important, only being able to concentrate at the person before me.

My back met a soft underground, probably his king-sized bed. He had carefully put me down, his body towering over me. My hands went to his blouse, pulling him to me as my patience was running out. An unknown feeling was going through my body, something so powerful but unexplainable...

He looked down on me as I was a precious object. Like a jewelry which he wanted to have for such a long time and finally got it. A beautiful silence was keeping us from making a move, both of us enjoying the quiet moment.

His fingertips went to my buttons, popping them open one by one. His eyes gazed on my exposing skin, slowly rising his lust while his heartbeat rose. Before he continued, the man kissed me one more time, causing me to close my eyes... beginning to enjoy the intense but erotic situation.

️Present

The couple was back from town before a big storm took over the sky, removing the beautiful sight of the sun. Every crew member was on deck, just doing their regular jobs. _Didn't they realize I was gone?_ Once they arrived on deck, a few of Shanks friends went to Akari.

"Well, I see Shanks had found you again." Lucky Roo announced with a big piece of meat in his mouth, eating it with a grin. The white haired woman smiled back, but feeling quite uncomfortable about the situation. _How could they not hate me? I wanted to leave them behind..._

"It didn't go as planned, did it?" The one with dreadlocks laughed, trying to shoot a can, which stood next to Akari. He was probably referring to the woman's escaping plan, while practicing further. _Yasopp is his name and he had told me a lot of things about his son._

He reminded Akari of her father, well not in appearance or his way of behaving... just the story about how he left home. ' _I miss him too. But I cannot help him because of one reason, the pirate flag has called me to stand up to this point_!'

"I'm sorry..." She apologized, not being able to look at anything else than the wooden ground. "Sorry for being lost?" The meat-eater laughed, only making the woman more confused. _What_? "Benn told us he saw you leave early in the morning, but after a few hours you didn't return." Yasopp stopped shooting, giving her an unimpressed look. Like he didn't expect her to lose the way so easily.

The only thing she could do was open and close her mouth like a fish. "You told me it yourself, you wanted to take a _quick_ look in town." A hand was put on her shoulder, a firm grip pressing on her skin. With her eyes gazing to the person behind her, Akari saw the man who had let her go in the morning. _He is lying for me?_

He gave her a nod, waiting for her response. Suddenly an arm was thrown around her, her body being pulled away from Benn. A cape was wrapped around her, only her face sticking out. By the smell of the sweet and rare scents, Akari knew it was the red haired man. His hand held the cape closed, while her hands slowly took over the piece of cloak between his fingers.

Eventually she was the one with the cape in her hands, the captain's arm carefully snaking around her waist. His chin was on her head, slightly leaning on her. Before Akari could respond, Shanks planted a kiss on the top of her head. _They are lying for me?_

A chuckle left her mouth, maybe because she was afraid. "Well, then I hope I won't be a problem for you guys in the upcoming future." Oh yes, she was saying it loud and clear. Claiming she wants to stay with the crew.

One of her hands was searching for Shanks' hand, which was laying on her hip. Their hands slowly holding the others', both accepting the upcoming future... well, if the woman made the good choice.

After the young woman had announched her stay on the ship, everyone claimed there _had_ to be a party to celebrate 'the extraordinary event'. Their words, not hers. The celebration would begin once the upcoming storm leaves this place. Except the white haired woman wasn't that into partying this time.

Before the couple left the crew alone on deck, Akari nodded at Benn, truly thanking him for the given opportunity. Even if it wasn't as planned for the woman, she was quite relieved she could stay. But why _did they do it? Why did they lie to their own nakama? Why aren't they mad at me? I left them! Only leaving a letter behind... with the most cliché-like excuse..._

"Why aren't you mad at me?.." The woman mumbled in the kitchen to the man as she escaped from the captain's grip. "Sweetheart" Before he could properly explain the reason to Akari, the only woman on the ship was already asking it again, but her voice sounded more desperate. "Because someone told me not to."

 _Why would someone tell him not to be mad at me? Do they think I'm too weak to handle my own problems? Maybe they have better things to do than being mad at me. So, I'm a problem. I'm a walking problem nobody wants to solve... I thought I just said I wanted to stay with them..._

"Who?" Her eyes twinkled with the same look as she woke the first time up on the ship. "Look, it doesn't matter..." Slowly he approached her, blocking her way to escape. Her back was already against the fridge, their eyes holding each other in a curious but desperate gaze. "I'm here with you." A soft kiss was planted on her lips, leaving behind a beloved feeling in the woman's heart.

️Memory: 8 years ago

He was laying in my arms, very peaceful... almost as he was sleeping. My eyes were on him, since the moment he was brought to me. Back to his mother. I couldn't believe it, nor anyone around me.

Even if everyone was sent out of the room, where I was laying in bed, I could still feel their sorrow. I was all alone with my baby, my precious child... my _child_. "Please," The man's voice started. "don't shut yourself off from the world."

Doflamingo was sitting in _the_ leather chair, where it _all_ started. After all the hours of silence, the hours of looking at me, he started to talk. _Finally_. He stood up and walked to me, carefully sitting next to me. His hands went to the piece of cloak, which was under the baby.

Doflamingo's eyes were on me, sending me a comforting smile. Eventually giving me a kiss on my forehead, before kissing on top of the head of the little one. We both looked at him for the last time, the cloak slowly covering the child.

In a quiet but peaceful moment, our eyes were on the blanket. Both remembering the beautiful cyan-colored eyes, the fragile smile, the last and only breaths before closing his eyes forever.

 _That was the last moment we saw him, our baby named Shino. The creation which was suppose to make the bond between me and my beloved man stronger by creating a family, instead of destroying it into million pieces of guilt, guilt which buried me alive._

 _It wasn't the fault of the baby, nor someone else's. It was my own fault. I must have doubted, I must have done something wrong myself. I_... "Some things are unpreventable, so don't blame yourself for it." A warm hand touched my shoulder, touching my cold and broken skin.

I looked back at the male next to me, noticing his gaze on me. Again, he showed a smile. _Why would he be smiling in this kind of situation? I lost my child. He also lost his child... why is he smiling?! It's our child!_

Slowly the weight in my arms decreased, the cloak moving across my skin, leaving behind nothing but an empty spot. The spot where the baby fell asleep for good, never showing his eyes again to the outside world. "Why..." I mumbled, while tears started to fall.

"Why are you smiling?!" My hands grabbed around the white cloak, not wanting to let go. In a swift I stood on the other side of the bed, staring at Doflamingo with no clear expression. My arms were around the little being, holding him close to my chest. _Close to my heart._

My long hair was slowly moving in front of me, shielding him away from any danger, from everyone and everything. "Stop smiling!" I shouted, my whole body trembling, not feeling safe. "My p-" "Stop it!" While refusing his excuse or any kind of words out of his mouth, I had cut him off by screaming at him.

He stood up, very calmly, predictable moving across the room. Doflamingo slowly approached me, while his sight was on me. "Stop _everything_..." The last word made him move his fingers, something he hasn't done since a long time _without_ my permission.

My eyes were apparently shining bright as I looked into the glasses of the man before me. I stiffed up, my control over my body was gone, slowly returning back to my normal state. It also revealed how tired I was, how sad I was...

"Why don't you get it?..." He softly whispered in my ear, his hands traveling from my face to the precious but fragile being in my arms. "I love _you_." My gaze went from the cloak to the one who just claimed his love for me. "I love..." He repeated, slowly giving back my control over my muscles.

"everything about you..." His hands went to my arms, holding it firmly but without hurting me. "and I will only stop the one thing what will bring us closer..." A tear rolled across his cheek, a smile showing on his sad face. Doflamingo stepped forwards giving me a careful hug, but I only could stand frozen on my spot, still thinking about the being between us.

"time..." With that _special_ and _many times spoken_ word, I started to give in. Giving in everything, what held me back from accepting my lost, _our_ lost. "Just don't leave me..." I answered, really not wanting to lose him. I leaned against his chest, my knees feeling weak as I dropped to the ground. His arms were still embracing me, pulling me closer to him as he followed me to the floor.

"I promise I won't leave you. _Never_." My eyes widened... _He heard me that day?..._ We sat on the ground for a while, both only thinking about the other. We embraced one another, protecting the baby from the cruel world. The world, where he was suppose to live, o _ur Shino. Sadly faith took him away before he could live his life..._

️Present

"Who took my meat?!" Lucky Roo roared, causing everyone to stiff up. From the three months of staying with this 'one of a kind' group of people, Akari knew what she had to do. _Protect my food with my life_. The first time of eating with them was very quiet and awkward. But she eventually understood why as they slowly recovered to their normal way if eating.

 _I once was the one who got blamed. Even if I did nothing about it, just letting my dinner get taken away, I eventually got the plate from the captain. Shanks knew the I still had to recover, my bones still showing on my light skin. Of course, that's the main reason why Lucky Roo tried to steal my food many times more._

Except the white haired woman was not stupid, trying to maintain her food multiple times. For example showing her teeth, claws, trowing a knife or a fork...maybe throwing a chair once. In the end it didn't matter much, most of the time she was just too slow or distracted.

Today, as being a special day, she got an idea. Akari ate very slow, shewing on every piece with patient. Lucky Roo stood up and looked on everyone's plate and ended up by the onely woman on the crew. She noticed his gaze as she ate further without looking up.

The other crew members were silenced, expecting her to do something. The meat-eating beast reached out his hand to her plate, wanting to snatch it away. Through the quiet dinner Akari still did nothing. Almost as she didn't care or knew what was going on. _Idiot._

His fingertips were almost touching the plate, everyone holding their breath to watch the show in front of their eyes. She had put the fork and knife down and looked on the hand of the almost stealing man. Her golden eyes went up to his eyes, giving him a glare full of concentration but also with boldness. _If he dares..._

Lucky Roo stopped moving, literally not being able to do something else than stare into her deadly eyes. Nobody saw the most important movement, their eyes were on the hand of Lucky Roo. Not on the eyes of Akari. Well, one person saw it and it was the captain himself.

Once Akari batted with her eyes the overwhelmed man was released from the trance. Calmly he sat back down, his sight eventually on his empty plate. "What just happened?" Yasopp mumbled, not believing anything what happened before his own eyes.

Without doubt, every pair of eyes were on Akari, except of those of Lucky Roo. The young woman picked up her fork and resumed eating. Even if she looked quite calm on the outside, she was jumping like a rabbit in her mind. A grin was planted on Shanks face, knowing that the woman wasn't _simply_ accepting her sudden action.

At the end of dinner everyone was talking again, Lucky Roo was eating again and the most crew members already forgot what they saw. Even if it meant Akari was stronger than most people thought she was. Benn could conclude out of her action, who also saw it happen just as Shanks, that she still has to learn a lot about her own powers.

The storm was slowly fading away, feeling the waves slow down. It was already dark outside, but the party still had to begin. Booze and bottles of sake were taken from the storage. Not even two days later and the storage was empty again. Maybe they needed a bigger ship.

As Akari was busy with cleaning the table and kitchen, which she cleans voluntarily for some reason, the captain stayed with her. His eyes were on her the whole time, being in deep thoughts as he sat on a chair. Thinking back about today, how much he missed her...

He never knew he could miss someone so much, feeling feelings he never knew he had. Just seeing her was enough, his heartbeat rising with excitement. He couldn't believe she was already three months with the crew, like time went by so fast! On the other hand it almost looked like she already was with them for a few years.

Her relaxed side showing as she softly humming a melody, her bare feet moving on the floor. Dancing her way from the kitchen to the table, smiling happily. Oh, he was in love. Madly in love. Should he say he loves her?

Even if they made love to one another, they haven't really said those words. Mostly lust speaking or running out of time before someone would walk into the room. There were many close calls. Maybe on deck wasn't really a good idea... well, doesn't matter; they didn't got caught... that time.

As he was staring into space two hands were snaking around his neck, one traveling to his hair and the other to his chest. "A Beli for your thoughts?" Her lips touched his ear, softly whispering to her captain.

A chuckle left his mouth, while thinking back about a familiar situation. Really hoping now, nobody would interrupt. "You know what?" Akari asked suddenly, slowly letting go of the man. "I don't have to know. You mind is too dir-" Lips were pressed against her, finding herself on his lap.

His hand was around her wrist, not allowing her to leave. "Don't leave me." Shanks looked at her in awe, keeping her close to him. Maybe it weren't the words he wanted to say... it was close enough. For now. "I will try..."

?Word Count: 4092

Time skips between:  
 **Present**  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

|  
 **11/6 years ago**  
Age 24 to 29  
Doflamingo: Age 28 to 32


	23. Lost

**Music^** **: Naaz- Words**

?  
 **Three months ago**  
?

 _I guess it's now officially an accepted part of my life. Once being left behind and eventually leaving others behind... because of my selfish reasons. I left Smoker, Mihawk, Doflamingo and Crocodile behind. Now I think about it, things has become like this because I chose my 'oh so wise' path._

 _If I just stood still for a moment, then I maybe wouldn't have ended up on this unknown ship. 'The Red Hair Pirates' that's how they call themselves. Never heard of it. The captain of this ship is quite... special? Even if he has one arm, he acts reckless. I have observed him for the past week and everything surprises me so far._

 _His breath smells like booze, he is lazy as my dead grandmother, who I in fact never knew. Except he is also very kind and understanding. The red headed man gave me a wooden ground to stand on, instead of letting me drown, and insisted of helping me to recover. He is a... one kind of a man?_

 _Patience plays a big role on this ship. Only for me actually. The crew already drank a few night in a row, 'because I was able to walk properly again'. I don't mind them partying... but I'm quite thirsty for a stronger drink than just water. By the way, if he says no, he literally means no._

 _Two nights ago I wanted to drink a bottle of sake, which I stole out of the kitchen, but before I knew it... the one-armed man had already taken it from me. He told me that I shouldn't drink that, his words not mine, while I was still recovering._

 _My skin stays this pale, my body just needs some food and for my heart... yeah... there can be a problem about the heart part. If that's all fixed, 'then' I can drink again. What a joke! Of course I won't listen to a man. Not without a good reason._

 _He cares a lot about his nakama, if I see how much he cares for a total stranger. There are more things on this ship to laugh about than to be angry. Booze and laughter is the answer to peace, while they travel from island to island._

 _I guess it isn't that hard to travel with them after all. They will give me the opportunity to think about something else than the past, the future for once, and my search to mom will be on a larger scale._

 _Talking about scales. Should I tell them I ate a Devil Fruit? I know these pirates already thought that when they saw me in the barrel, but I'm a guest on their ship. So, manners are still counting. Even on the sea._

 _"Hello everyone, I just want to thank you for bluuuh!" Too much standard stuff! Maybe something like, "I'm Akari, nice to meet you all now properly, sadly I'm already in my mid-thirties and-" aaaand I sound like a Marine. Not going to work._

 _"Thanks for saving me, I'm truly thankful to you guys. If there is anything I can do in retu-" but what if they want me to do 'things'. Like helping them- You know what? I will just go to the captain and look into his cheerful but determined eyes, tell him that I own him a debt._

 _If something goes wrong, I will fight them. If nothing happens and I can still state I'm standing here willingly, then there will be no problem. So, find the muscular and attractive red headed, talk to him while drowning in his eyes and- Where is my mind heading to?_

 _I can't think like that, I mean I was married for One Piece's sake! Not officially, but the promise was sealed with a kiss! It was maybe more than six years ago, but... I still can't move on, can I?_

 _The biggest idiot on this ship is myself, I'm still faithful to an unofficial promise with the King of Dressrosa, even if I have met a few guys through the years... one-nightstands don't count..._

 _I mean, Doflamingo doesn't even know we are married! It's just a stupid dream of mine, which never came true in the end. So, I hold on to a snapping rope, slowly ruining my own life with lies of my thoughts._

 _Did I just denied my own 'for your own good' reason? Did I just allow myself to love someone? It doesn't matter anyways. He probably has slept with a lot of women... okay that is nothing offensive, because I don't remember most of the names of the men I slept with myself..._

 _I mean he likes to party and I like to drink with a bunch of people. Uhh- He must have, he, I think- never mind. I'm only a week on this ship and already thinking about a relation with the captain? I just have to be thankful for that non of them recognizes me, my safety goes first... he did call me sweetheart sometimes..._


	24. 12 Disguised Blessing

Chapter 12: Disguised Blessing

️Present

 _The morning didn't quite start as planned. I woke up alone in bed, discovering that the men were still on deck by the fact that Shanks wasn't laying next to me. Everyone probably drank a lot that night but I left them alone. I just felt tired from the whole 'I'm going to leave' adventure... so,_ _I went to the bed._

 _And I wasn't really in the mood for drinking, that must have been such long time since I refused alcohol. The smell of it almost makes me vomit, weird enough. Shanks on the other hand, didn't hold back. He was excited and relieved that I would stay on his side. Because well... I will now be joining the upcoming adventures._

 _My past wasn't that bad but because I never shared it with anyone or couldn't deal with the fact they knew about my past... it made me stand in a difficult position._

Only a few men were awake, everyone else was sleeping like a sheep on the wooden floor. The captain, the first mate, the sniper and even the meat-eating beast were still drinking. Well, from all the booze that was still left. Checking the last leftovers in each glass in other words.

Akari had send everyone to bed, knowing they would have done nothing more than complaining about their headache in the burning sun. Of course, she helped the captain herself, even if she almost fell because of his weight. Except the problem in the morning was about something she couldn't find anymore.

Her necklace, which she wore yesterday, wasn't around her neck anymore. She was sure she still had it around her neck after she jumped from the ship. She looked on deck, in the kitchen, quietly in the bedroom without waking up Shanks... nothing. So, the only place left was on land.

This time she wrote a letter that she would return as fast as she could. Informing her captain about the lost necklace and that he didn't have to worry about her 'losing the way'. Even if she was a little bit scared that they would leave her behind, she still jumped from the ship to find her beloved trinket.

As her bare feet touched the cold stones of the path to the little city, the woman noticed that everything looked so different. The houses looked old, the most shops were abandoned and no children or people on the street. It looked so empty and sad. _Where is everyone?_

 _'Hello beautiful, I think this will fit you perfectly!'_ Akari's breath was taken away as she remembered the man on the street. The feeling of a rope being put around her wrist and the happy aura of the people on the street. Only nobody, except for the white haired woman herself, was on the street.

Her eyes went to her surroundings, eventually finding a jewelry shop on her right. _Maybe he sells his stuff in here. When he gave me the bracelet, could he have grabbed my necklace? Hopefully he still remembers me!_ Before she entered the shop, only sounds of birds and the wind filled her ears on the empty street... _maybe they are still sleeping?.._

"Hello?" Akari's voice echoed through the shop, the dusty and messy shop. It was dark and the air smelled foul, almost if they haven't cleaned since a few years. Her feet dodging the fallen jewelry on the ground, while her eyes were adjusting to the dark place.

"Is someone here?" Again nobody answered, not that she expected much from it as she thought back to the abandoned street. A sigh was released by the woman, causing some dust to fly up in the air. A cough was slowly tickling in the back of her throat, almost not noticing the sudden but quiet sounds behind her.

Footsteps were set behind her, like someone wanting to attack her from behind. _Not very kind, nor smart!_ Her teeth were slowly growing, her nails taking a point as shape. She turned around, her hair ready to strike until... she saw who stood in front of her.

An old man with a smile, big dusty glasses, holding on to a stick stood in front of the woman. "Of course, already for more than forty years." She was only a few inches from him, her claws from his throat as well as her teeth close to ripping him apart. _Forty years of what?... oh! He is already here for forty years!_

"Where can I help you with?" _He can't see me?_ Slowly Akari returned back to her normal _human_ form, almost apologizing for her behavior. She never changed so fast to that hideous form, like something inside her triggered it. Almost as she had to protect something.

"Hello? Is still someone here?" The old man suddenly asked, concluding he was almost fully blind and deaf. "Yes, yes, I'm still here." A cough escape her lips before she chuckled, seeing dust fly everywhere. _Who am I kidding? I was almost attacking an old man!_ "What's a young lady like you doing here?"

"I'm searching for a man as well for a necklace, which I lost yesterday." One of her hands went to throat, feeling no necklace on the way. "The man sold me a bracelet yesterday and for the necklace..." _Ruby? Where did you go?_ "For the man you seek, I'm the only one who sells jewelry in this city." The old man began, finding his way to a chair.

"Can you describe the man for me?" The old man signed the costumer to follow him. "No, I didn't see his face but," The woman had followed the man through the back of the shop. "the man sold me a bracelet, a red pearled one."

He sat down, stretching his legs to decrease the pain in his knees. A chair was pushed into her direction as his walking stick shove it forwards.

"So, you bought a bracelet from a person, you don't know how he looked like?" As the woman was watching the old man cleaning his glasses, her thoughts were laughing at the belonged mind. "The bracelet... with red pearls, huh?" It was more a statement for the man himself, than a actual question.

"Like those from Portgas D. Ace?" His glasses were back on its original place, now his eyes set on Akari. _Ace?.._ The white haired woman thought back at the moment when she ripped the bracelet of her wrist. The red pearls falling and rolling on the ground, reflecting the last sunlight of that day.

"Kind of..." A memory flashed before her eyes, seeing Ace in front of her in detail. His clothes, red beaded necklace, hat and boots. _Have I met him before? I'm sure I only know him from a wanted poster..._

"Sorry but I can't help you, my mind isn't that sharp as it was in my younger years. Also, I don't want to waste the time of a beautiful lady like you." His small eyes were reflected by his glasses, probably being able to see the woman because of his cleaned glasses. _He sounds just like him. Maybe they are family from each other._

"Well, thanks for your time." That was the first time and the last time the young woman and the elder man spoke, even if they both thought they had spoken to one another before. Maybe from previous life or some other weird explanation.

Eventually Akari stared at the ship in front of her, her eyes gazing on the working crew members. With a great distance between her and the ship, she got shivers down her spine; her way walking to the crew, seeing them load all kinds of supplies to fill the storage.

 _Those pirates with the captain named Shanks are the crew I now see as nakama. Yes, we are pirates. Maybe not a crew as everyone had thought, but maybe even better. Mostly drunk, weird enough not when the situation turns quite serious... I just can't come up with anything I hate about them._

The sky was blue with no cloud in the air, only the sun covering the ground. Her sight was on the people, not recognizing any of them from yesterday. Suddenly she got pushed to the ground, her hands touching the suddenly warm stones, which were heated by the sun in such short time.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Before she could say anything in return of the sudden voice, her body got pulled up. The woman's feet were back under her, finding her balance again. Sand was covering her skin and clothes, only seeing a vague silhouette because of the cloud of sand.

"No, no, I was the one in a rush." She rejected his apology, still not seeing clearly as she could hear it was a male. "So, where is a lady like you heading to?" The unknown man kindly asked as the shadow started to pick things up from the ground. She also kneeled down, grabbing something small and light.

Apparently when they rushed into each other, the man dropped his belongings. "To a new life." _It sounded perfect... a new life._ "A new life? That does sound quite the adventure!" His voice sounded excited but slightly disappointed at the same time. "I guess it indeed is..." _Well, it won't be much different than all the adventures I had in my past... right?_

"Well, off you go. I think the ship is leaving." Akari looked behind her, seeing the sails being raised. _Wait..!_ "I hope we will meet again!" Even if she said it, after he disappeared into the sand cloud, she doubted if that would really happen. Not even knowing how he looked like, already forgetting his voice as she looked at the ship in the distance. _He sounded so familiar... He sounded like someone, who I probably forgot._

The sound of a chain rang in Akari's ears, reminding herself she had picked something from the ground, which had belonged to the mysterious man. The white haired woman opened her hand, revealing a known trinket in the palm of her hands. _The necklace..._ It was covered in dust but the pendant was still reflecting the sun's light.

Carefully she closed her hand, holding the treasure tight in her grasp. _Some things in life are truly unexplainable... is it luck? Maybe faith. Even if the necklace and I keep uniting with one another.. I just hope it will also happen with me and that red headed man._

 _He, who lives on a ship, a place I want to return to so badly... like I really have be with him... almost as I'm afraid I can't get on the ship on time. They would notice if I'm not on the ship, right? Shanks would wait for me... right?_

️Memory: 3 months ago

 _The reason why I ended up on the ship was a mystery, it was a mystery for everyone around me. Founded in a barrel, like who is so dumb to get in a barrel in the first place?! Except when I saw the ship in the distance, it felt like a moment flashed in front of my eyes... a moment I already experienced... could that have been a lost memory?_

I had found myself in the streets of the city, where I'm currently living. Well, _was_ actually. Today is the day for a new journey! The people here are not really friendly, no surprise because of all the pirates. There is always a fight or someone dies... everyone is busy with each others' business, in other words.

I walked in the main street, finding my way to the dock where all the ships were. I had heard a known pirate crew was in town; with a captain I heard of many times since I started to live here. It was now the chance to see it with my own eyes.

A loud _crash_ was released into my ears, causing me to stand still by a little side street. A big silhouette was moving in the shadows, it was too dark to see which way it was heading. Instead of seeing any kind of movement, only silence and darkness replied.

Before I could move away, my body got thrown on the ground by an unknown force. "Ey, watch where you are going!" My voice released a growl as I was checking if I got hurt, trying to understand the situation.

"No, you w-" The force which pushed me on the floor stood before me, its shadow hovering over me. "I'm so sorry!" A male's voice suddenly exclaimed, while his way of behaving changed in a swift. I looked up and I saw a male bowing to me, a hat covering his face.

"Here, let me help you" A hand was extended to me, allowing me to stand up. "Thank you..." I mumbled, while a warm feeling met my skin. Heat surrounding my hand, like touching a hot plate of food. My eyes were scanning the polite but strange person, shortly gazing from his clothing to his necklace.

Our eyes meeting, both being silence while my golden pair and his dark pair but pure brown eyes met. "I didn't see you stand there..." He apologized once more, our hands still in touch.

"No, no, I was standing still without properly looking around me..." _He looked very familiar, like I know him but not directly_. We disconnected our hands, after we realized we still stood very close to one another.

I quickly scanned over him, trying to be sure about my suspicion. Black boots and shorts, while there was a red belt with an 'A' around his waist. He had a green bag matching his knife, while a little blue bag was around his left leg.

On his left arm there was a red and white striped bracelet with a Log Pose, eventually an elbow guard which was close to a tattoo. It spelled 'ASCE', while the 'S' was crossed out for some reason...

His hat, which covered his eyes in the shadow, had a red beaded necklace with two blue smileys; one smiling and one frowning. Another necklace with the same material was around his neck, only there was nothing attached to it. But a big medallion with a bull's skull was hanging by two straps of his hat.

He was quite muscular, freckles on his face and... it felt like I saw him before... wait his tattoo. _Ace_. _Portgas D. Ace_. _Fire Fist Ace! How stupid can I be to forget a member of the Whitebeard Pirates and with such an obvious tattoo?!_ He still looked at me with kindness, totally not worrying about the chance of being recognized.

I took a step back for my own safety, noticing the heat slowly decreasing. "Oh sorry!" He again said, but now I didn't know where he was talking about. I followed his gaze to the ground, where my bag was empty as all the objects where laying spread on the floor. We both started picking up my stuff, his eyes trying to solve an unasked question.

"So, where is a lady like you heading to?" I looked him in the eyes as I stood up, while my long dress moved with me. The white colored dress matching with my hair, also hiding my bare feet. "To a new life." I admitted to the young male, who was smiling happily at me. "A new life? That does sound quite the adventure!"

I nodded at him, finally realizing my upcoming future. "I guess it indeed is..." _Even if he was wanted by the Marines... just as me, there was no reason to make a scene out of this situation. His bounty was almost eight times more than the price on my head and fire isn't an element I really love._

While I felt his eyes tracing over my appearance, he politely waited until I got everything back in my back as he gave some clothes he picked up. "Well, off you go." Ace suddenly laughed, giving me a cheesy smile. "I hope we will meet again, _Ace_." I admitted to him, claiming I recognized him.

Something lighted up in his eyes, eventually giving me a nod, while his right hand was on his hat. Without any more words shared we walked away from each other, probably both of us having something important to do.

I saw the male walk away, finally feeling the heat again of the sun. _Would he know me? I don't think so... right? Even if I'm more known as Hikaru, there is a chance my name is still being used in conversations.. even after leaving Doflamingo._

 _I heard he had sent some men after me, not that I didn't notice them. If they just watched me from a distance without interfering in my life, I wouldn't attack them. Their tattoo's were mostly too obvious, so it wasn't really has to spot them._

 _Maybe one or two disappeared after trying to get me back, but after those two I never saw any of the Donquixote Pirates ever again. Which makes me happy in one way, the feeling of being free... except it also meant Doflamingo moved on. That's also a good thing, right?_

️

 _My plan to get on the ship of those known pirates is very simple; I walk to their captain and I ask if I can join them. Nothing more, nothing less. Just an easy plan, easy... ugh! That sounds so difficult!_

After walking through the city for the last time, I thought back of the last six months. _After Smoker had let me go to be free, I stayed in the same town. I bought a house and I started to live my life. Getting to know people, hearing news what was on the sea, which I never heard of before. Also being able to hear how everyone from the past was doing._

 _Crocodile was still continuing to rule in the shadows, without getting caught to my surprise. Smoker on the other hand was someone I saw a few times each month, while seeing him being busy with his job. Not that he follows the rules much himself, still behaving like a stubborn child. He wasn't the only one acting like that..._

 _Doflamingo was still the king of Dressrosa, his cruel words even reaching to this little place. The whole 'Shichibukai' title was still fitting him pretty well, just as the bounty on his head, which was the same since I had met him. The Hawk-Eyed male wasn't doing that bad either, while his name was echoing through the streets_.

"Come on, Lucky Roo! We are leaving, so eat the rest of the meat on the ship!" One male with dreadlocks dragged someone with him, pulling to the direction of the sea. They passed me with a steady pace, clearly being late. "I don't want Shanks to decide to stay here any longer, just like the past three weeks!" The same man mumbled, obviously hating this place.

 _Shanks?_ The two figures disappeared into the distance, eventually arriving by a big ship. The sails already dropped, only needing the anchor to be pulled up. _Wait! I have to get on that ship!_ On my bare feet I ran to the docks, arriving in a few minutes. My white dress slowly getting dirty because of the mud being splashed by my feet.

The last crew members were getting on the ship, almost ready to sail away. Before I could say a word to the men as I was arriving on the docks, I got lifted in the air.

My body got thrown over someone's shoulder, the distance between the ship and me was increasing. I wanted to scream and shout but nothing came out of my mouth as I struggled to get out of its grasp.

"Ho, easy _sugar_!" The ' _kidnapper'_ took my to a side street, while seeing the ship disappear around the corner. The arm around my body felt quite warm, my eyes went to the bare back of the person.

A purple tattoo met my eyes, before I was put down. My back was against a cold wall, but a strong heat was flowing against my skin. My wrists were grabbed as I looked directly into pure chocolate-colored eyes. _Ace_.

"Let me go!" I sneered, moving away from the wall but only being able to feel the warm body against mine. I sighed loud, giving up on the little battle of strength. "Where do you think you were going?"

His face was inches from mine, feeling my skin itch because of his sudden action. "I already told- mHm!" Before I could finish my sentence, one of his hands were on my mouth, while shushing me to be silenced.

A minute pasted, _the_ minute which took my chance away to get away from this city. Suddenly white jackets flashed past us, marines running on the main street. Ace's eyes were on mine all the time, giving me a glare of curiosity. It was quiet again, only hearing our steady breathing.

With my free hand I slowly took his hand off my mouth, our eyes still keeping each other in sight. "You know," I started, pushing him a few steps backwards, a cheesy smile came on his face as I looked at him in amusement.

"because of you..." My finger was pointing at him, touching him on his chest. I felt his heat get hotter, while he took another step back, which caused him to stand against a wall.

"I missed my ship!" My voice roared in anger as I held one of my claws under his throat. He looked shocked for a second, but it didn't take him long to laugh. "I saved your life." He simply stated, not even fearing me the slightest. "Oh no, you didn't!" "Yes, I did." He stubbornly exclaimed. "Then what did you save me _from_?"

"I prevented you from joining the wrong crew." _The wrong crew?_ "I'm pretty sure it was the right ship..." I mumbled, more talking to myself than the male in front of me. Before he could respond properly, the sun light, which was shining through the main street, got blocked by men standing in the way. "Here they are!"

Both of us looked into the eyes of angry but also excited marines. "I will take the woman." One of them claimed with a smugly grin on his face. Ace stepped forwards, trying to protect me. Except I couldn't accept such kind offer, especially if I could take care of myself with ease. "Sorry, but that won't happen." I kindly explained, while I changed both of my hands into claws.

"Bring it on guys!" I roared, not that I didn't do that much today, the men all took one step back. My teeth were showing, my hair ready to strike them away. Ace watched me in amazement, while his hands were turning into flames. Without any of us speaking, Ace and I both attacked on the same time. I slashed two men away with my claws, while I jumped over them to land upon another marine.

Their swords and pistols were no use as Ace launched punches of fire into their direction. Eventually we could escape from the 'I follow justice' group, making our way to the docks. "Eyy," He managed to get out under his breath as we stood still to rest a bit.

"How about joining the Whitebeards Pirates?" Again, _that_ smile came along, now also rising his left eyebrow. _J-joining? Was that what he meant? Preventing me from joining the wrong crew? He literally ruined my plan because of his selfish preference?!_

"Run!" He suddenly shouted, what woke me up out of my thoughts as I saw Ace starting to fight against a new group of marines. I walked backwards, my eyes not leaving Ace. Before I could say or do anything at all, the ground disappeared under my bare feet. " _Akari_!"

My hands trying to grab something, except only air was available at that moment. While I saw Ace trying to run to me, he got knocked over, causing to fight them _even_ if I was falling down. He just couldn't prevent it from happening.

We were close by the docks, so there was only one thing what could lay under me. _The sea._ My golden eyes went to one side, seeing the ship of the Red Hair Pirates sail away in the distance.

 _This is it... my life ends because of some water..._ The ship was the last thing I saw as I got hit on the back of my head. My eyes stared to feel heavy, my body dropping into a tight space, eventually ending up in darkness.

 _Even if the memory ended unexpected and stupid... when I woke up on the Red Hair Pirates's ship for the first time, I thought I got there with bad luck. Except it seemed I was there with a lot of luck, being able to accomplish my plan... the 'oh so' easy plan._

 _It also gave me hope... hope that I actually can let go of my past and look back at it without feeling guilty about it. If it happened once before, it wouldn't be such struggle to do it again, right?_

️Present

The white haired woman was back, while an important memory had cleared her mind. _That were waiting for me..._ Everyone was ready to go, ready to sail away and continue the journey. Even she, who was now ready to continue her journey in her mind as well as her current situation.

"Are you ready to go?" Benn was standing next to her, also looking at the island which they are leaving behind soon. While giving him a glare of curiosity, she nodded with confidence... well, Akari thought it was with confidence.

"I'm sorry... for not even remembering." The woman tried to look the older male in the eyes, her words referring back to the lost of Benn's older brother. _I promised him not to say sorry until I remembered my actions... but now as I want to stay with the crew... I can't keep running from my own problems, the same for taking responsible of my acts._

He looked at her for a slight second as a smile was given to her. "You weren't yourself, nor you could control it..." Benn meant what he said, even if he still missed his brother... he couldn't put the blame on someone else forever. He couldn't prevent it. Some things happen for a reason, even if the reason never reveals itself.

"Sweetie, can I talk to you?" She was taken away, her hand being pulled by a certain red headed. Before they disappeared into the kitchen, again, she gave a nod to Benn. Truly being happy that they now also could call each other nakama. Akari followed the captain with confusion, only eyeing the red strands of hair sticking out above the black cape.

"Look, you can still leave." He locked the door behind her, really wanting to talk to her in private. He turned around, trapping her between him and the closed door. "Wait, why?" Her hands were on his chest, slightly pushing him away. _Why does he want me to go?_

"You didn't meet us by your own choice," Shanks mumbled with his hand going through her hair, softly moving one strand of hair behind her ear. _Well, I-_ "and you don't even know how you ended up here!" His eyes were on her face, traveling from her lips to her eyes.

The red haired man looked frustrated and confused. _I actually kn_ \- "this choice will influence your whole life... _your_ future." As the man wanted to step back, her hands grabbed his shirt, causing him to be pulled back. "I want it to be _our_ future..."

Her words were chosen carefully, hoping it would reach his heart. "Our future? You mean you remember everything again?" His body was pressing against hers, holding the woman close to him. "Not everything, but something what made me realize..." Her eyes were shining like golden coins, remembering the captain of the first time seeing the love of his life.

"That I... love you." She stated, her hands around ending up on his waist. Emotions of hope and despair filled her eyes, wanting him to love her too. "And I love," Shanks started, cupping her left cheek before his thumb moved along her cold skin. "you too..." There was a long silence, which revealed the true feelings of the pair.

Slowly the man began to understand the situation. He loved her and she... loved him too. She wants to share the future with him, she leaves behind her guilt on her forgotten memories to continue with him... to continue her life in the future.

His hand went to her neck, carefully coming closer to kiss on her soft lips. Except before he could even close his eyes, a hand was put on his mouth. "But... I have to tell you something." It sounded like it was a hard subject to talk about, like memories flowing back into her head.

In a swift she moved away from the man, away from his grasp. Even if they were the only two in the kitchen, their presence was far away from each other. Her hands were placed on the kitchen island, her long white hair fell before her face.

"Then tell me." Shanks turned around again, following the woman around like a dog. As he passed the table, he stood on the other side of the kitchen island, eying Akari with affection. "You don't want to hear it." He tried to touch one of her hands, but it was out of reach.

"Maybe I do, the only thing I see is a beautiful woman, who I want to spent the rest of my life with." Suddenly she looked up, revealing her tears. "So tell me..." She looked away for a second but then mumbled something at herself. "I'm... Well, I think-" The words were stuck in her throat, unable to speak.

Slowly the captain walked to her, passing the kitchen island at a slow pace. "Actually, I know it for sure- because well..." Her hands were taken off the kitchen counter, being dragged back to the man. "I know for sure... I'm pregnant." At the last part she looked into his eyes, not knowing how he would respond.

"Pregnant." He said bluntly with no emotion on his face. "Oh no, I knew I shouldn't have said it! I-I'm so sorry! I didn- Mhm!" Akari's words were taken from her while her body froze, only feeling the warm touch of Shanks' lips pressing against hers. After the couple broke their kiss, heavy breathing was released by both of them.

"My sweetheart is pregnant." He said while he laid his forehead against hers, their eyes holding one another's gaze. "I can't wait to meet the kid." Slowly a soft smile comes on Shanks face, truly being happy about the amazing and wonderful news. "I'm the father, right?" He tried to joke around, but no response was given back to him.

The golden pair of eyes left the ones of the captain. "...I know for sure." Akari quietly said, her eyes moving back to him once she knew it with full confidence. "You seriously had to think about that question?!" Shanks exclaimed, while his hand was on the woman's waist.

"I already said it was you!" A chuckle left her mouth, while smiling at the surprised red haired captain. "Me?" "Yes, you!" She answered, almost laughing at the child-acting man. "Me?" "Of cour- Mhm!" Her breath was taken away as an arm snakes around her, being pressed against the chest of the man she just claimed her love to... and his future offspring.

They were almost falling on the ground, after Shanks had taken the lead in the long and passionated kiss. As they were leaning against the counter, the woman lifted herself with the help of the man in front of her on the counter. Kisses were planted on the man's neck as he stood between the legs of the white haired woman.

"We have to tell the crew." The beloved one-armed man suddenly said, almost as if they weren't kissing each other to celebrate the good news. "They can wait..." Akari whispered in his ear, slightly being irritated that he ruined the moment by involving those men on deck. Luckily, both of them weren't planning to leave the kitchen soon.

Well, she understood him in one way. Those men are his nakama and he had spent a lot of adventures with them. Many more are yet to come and now a woman would travel with them, herself in other words. Even knowing there will be a child included in a short matter of time, they will see how things will go. Because why would they look back in the past if they are already living in the future?

?Word Count: 5536

 _Please watch this video on Youtube_ : Wattpad Story Skin Shedding Chapter 12

Time skips between:  
 **Present**  
Age 35  
Shanks: Age 37

|  
 **1 year ago**  
Age 34 to 35  
Smoker: Age 33 to 34


	25. Epilogue

Even if time had put her through long lasting nightmares,  
Which she created by her own mind.

She realized she was just as any other,  
Included by the race named mankind.

She met different persons,  
Sometimes being a different one herself.

Closing chapters of her life,  
Like books being put away on a shelf.

They all played a big part in her life,  
but non of them saw it as a game.

Not always thinking straight,  
Slowly being driven insane.

She left all of them,  
With an exception of one.

Prevented by true love,  
Nowhere to run.

Loved ones were surrounding her constantly,  
Still thinking she was all alone.

Now, for the first time in her life,  
She could say she was _home_.

✖️ **A/N** ✖️

Hello everyone,

I just want to say... I loved writing this book so much!  
Just thinking about the story gives me goosebumps!

I want to thank a good friend of mine for being an inspiration for actually finishing this story. She was the very first reader and also corrected a lot of spelling mistakes.

I just hope you guys understood everything and got used to my way of writing.  
As you maybe see through the story, some things are explained later on in the story.  
However at the end some questions got created, which I can't answer for you now.

Did you enjoy the story at least?..  
Did you like Akari, my OC, through the story?

Was the music each time matching with your feelings by reading the chapter?  
Were the videos I made fun to watch?

Sorry that I ask so much😅  
Just want to make sure that my effort for the story was worth it ️

So... time to go...  
Time to let this story have an end...

Right?


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